Atlantis
by dark mirth
Summary: Sakura is on a cruise with her fiance, when a storm comes and sends her to the bottom of the sea. She is rescued by the prince of the amazing city of Atlantis. Slowly, she forgets her fiance, and falls in love with the prince. Complete!
1. Prologue

DM: Hey guys, so in case you're wondering why a two chapter fic has 300 reviews, it's being rewritten right now. I wrote this fic as a 7th grader, and now I'm a second semester senior in high school. When I go to college I'm going to give up fanfics forever, and before I go I want to make sure I'm leaving my best work behind. Thank you to all those that supported the original version of this fic. I hope you will like the changes I'm making.

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS, and I don't own the concept of Atlantis either, but I do own the plot.

**Atlantis**

**Prologue**

A girl with auburn hair and green eyes stood in the center of a magic circle, the skirt of her high school uniform whipping about her in the wind. From a little distance away a boy with blue hair, blue eyes, and glasses watched her with a smile on his face accompanied by a winged lion and what looked like an angel.

"Card created by Clow! Change and take on a new form under your new master Sakura!"

Sakura felt the familiar rush of magic as she turned her last Clow card into a Sakura card. Finally, the adventure that had occupied most of her high school life was coming to a close. Eriol ran up to catch her as she staggered a little.

"Sakura, you've done it! You've become the most powerful sorceress on earth!" Eriol said excitedly, helping to put her back on her feet.

"Eriol, thank you so much. I never would have been able to do it if not for you." Sakura threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He blushed at first, startled, and then returned her hug with equal warmth. Further off, Kerberos, the lion, attempted to convince the angel, Yue, to dance with him. He did not succeed.

"Sakura…" Eriol pushed her away a little so that they were face to face, a searing look of determination in his eyes. When they first met, they were rivals to collect the Clow Cards, but when it was clear that they belonged to Sakura, Eriol had done nothing but help her. They had been each other's only friend for all their three years together. But…

"Sakura, I love you!" Eriol said, closing his eyes, scared to see his expression. He was surprised by something warm and soft coming into contact with his lips.

"I love you too, Eriol," Sakura said sweetly after breaking the kiss.

* * *

Sakura laughed aloud as the boat rocked a little, knocking her fiancé clean off his feet. He gave her a sheepish grin from the deck. Then there were five Eriols grinning up at her. To celebrate their engagement, they had taken a boat out on the English Channel. They were living together now in England, five years after the Sakura Cards were all changed and their high school graduation.

Her maid, Tomoyo, a pretty girl with long hair and glasses, looked rather worried. "Miss, it seems that the weather is no longer in our favor."

Tomoyo was very polite, and when she applied for the job as a maid at Hiiragizawa Mansion (Eriol's house), Sakura had been very surprised to find that they were the same age.

Eriol (only one Eriol now) got up and dusted himself off, "Nonsense, Daidouji, it's the perfect weather for a cruise." He giggled.

"My fiancé is right, Tomoyo, nothing could go wrong." Sakura joined his laughter, draining her glass of wine and almost spilling some down her dress in the process.

Tomoyo looked at them both quizzically, "I think you've both had a little too much to drink." With that, Tomoyo took the ¾ empty bottle of wine they had been using and headed down to the galley.

"I thought she'd never leave," Sakura giggled mischievously as she and her drunken fiancé shared a kiss.

"Oh Eriol…" The kiss deepened, and, unnoticed by the two lovers, a few raindrops started to fall.

"Sir and Miss! Come inside this instant!" Tomoyo had come back on deck to find that the storm had broken over them. "Hurry!"

The two seemed to come to their senses as a wave came crashing on the deck, drenching them both completely.

Sakura screamed as she and Eriol started to run for the staircase, but she suddenly slipped and slid down the deck as the boat tilted dangerously. Eriol was the only one who made it. Sakura had taken only a step before another, larger, wave came up and swallowed her, wiping her off the deck.

"SAKURA!" Eriol and Tomoyo watched in horror as the force of the wave propelled Sakura down into the mysterious blackness of the sea.

_I'm going to die…_

DM: Ok so I think that gives a better basis for the start of the story/the initial relationships of the characters.


	2. Glass Doors

DM: So here's chapter one. I hope you all like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS or the basic concept of Atlantis, but I do own the plot.

**Atlantis**

**Chapter One**

**Glass Doors**

Syaoran was running away from home. Yup, no two ways about it, he was running away from home. He sneaked out the window of his room and jumped down to the garden. As he exited through the big glass doors of the Dome, Syaoron chuckled to himself:

"No more Mother. No more Meiling. No more tutors. Haha, only freedom." He hopped on a contraption that looked like a cross between a motorcycle and a submarine laughing smugly.

Syaoran had only gone about 4 leagues from the Dome before he noticed something strange ahead of him.

A girl.

"What the…?"

Syaoran skidded to a stop and watched in awe as a young girl fell before him, a pink glow emanating from her neck. She was wearing a pale pink evening dress with a black coat over it, and, by the looks of it, there was a rather large something in her left pocket.

Entranced, Syaoran was compelled to hold his arms open for her as she floated softly into his lap. Checking her heart beat, he was amazed that she was still alive. She hadn't swallowed any water yet. The warm pink glow from what he now saw was her necklace seemed to cast a protective bubble around her.

Syaoran knew easily from her clothes that she was a surface dweller, and also knew that he would be in big trouble with Meiling if he brought her back to the Dome with him.

He tried to look away, tried to ignore the fact that she would drown without his help, and tried to continue with his escape. Unfortunately, he failed at all three. Sighing, Syaoran pulled the spare helmet from a compartment in the vehicle and slipped it on her head. The color began to return to her cheeks as the air started to circulate within the helmet.

Heaving her behind him, Syaoran gave another sigh and turned around, heading back to the Dome.

_No freedom tonight…_

As they rode along the desolate ocean floor, he would turn around and glance at her from time to time. She was smiling in her sleep about something. Syaoran wondered what it could be, but looked ahead along the pathway illuminated by his jiink, as they were called in Atlantis. He had never ventured this far from the Dome before, and didn't know what to expect from the sea at night.

At last they were within the lights of the Dome. Syaoran parked his jiink in the transition chamber and took off his helmet and the girl's gratefully. He gingerly picked her up and walked through the doors into the atrium.

"Syaoran! Where have you been?" Before the automatic doors had even closed behind him, he was glomped by his cousin/fiancée, Meiling. It took her a few seconds before she realized that Syaoran had a girl in his arms.

"What the…?" She pulled away from him, still holding him firmly by the shoulders. "Who is this, SyaoSyao? Where did you find her? What's goi-"

As soon as she let go Syaoran tuned her out completely and walked straight past her. This did not make her happy, and she began to yell at him. However, he could not understand her, as he was too busy wondering what to do with this girl he had found.

Meiling continued to shriek about unfaithful fiancés and God knows what, and before he knew it, the girl in his arms awakened. Her eyelids opened, revealing huge, bright emerald eyes. She blinked once or twice before grabbing the key at her neck.

"RELEASE! ARROW!" She shouted as she broke out of Syaoran's arms and landed a few feet away, holding a bow with an arrow pointed at him. Her eyes dashed from him to Meiling frantically, and she backed herself up against the doors to the city directly behind her.

"Who are you? What am I doing here?" she asked curtly, sounding much more brave than she felt.

The glass doors behind her opened up. Startled, she turned around. Before her was a place unlike any she had ever seen before.

Sakura gaped in awe at the beautiful city that looked like it was straight out of a fairytale. The streets were paved in ivory; tall, smooth white marble walls rose on indefinitely; ornate silver and gold rooftops glimmered in what looked like moonlight. Arrow returned to its card form from the lack of concentration.

"For that matter…Where…Where is _here…_?" she asked, mouth hanging open at the sheer beauty of it all.

"Here," came a deep voice from behind her, "is Atlantis."

Sakura turned around and stared quizzically into the speaker's amber eyes. It was a man who looked to be about her age with very messy brown hair. He was smiling warmly at her.

"Well, right now we're in the Dome, the residence of the royal family," he said slowly, as if speaking to a very small child.

Sakura spun round to look at the city once again. She was in Atlantis. The place she thought existed only in stories. She turned around quickly again.

"Who is the royal family? May I speak with them? Will they take me home?" she asked in rapid succession, looking between her two captors.

The girl, who had long black hair and red-brown eyes, laughed at this. Sakura realized that she must have been the one who woke her up.

"Fool, we _are _the royal family." She apparently found Sakura's ignorance to be quite amusing.

"Now, Meiling, she is an _emse_, she wouldn't know of our ways or even who we are." The amber eyed boy spoke once more, placing a hand on Meiling's shoulder.

They began bickering in a language she had never heard of, and so she tuned them out and turned her thoughts back to Atlantis. It was amazing.

The bickering stopped behind her and she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see the man again.

"It _is_ amazing, isn't it?" he asked, with a look of distaste in his eyes. Sakura wanted to ask him why he sounded so sad about it, but she was cut off by Meiling.

"Syaoran, stop touching her," and he did. Meiling turned to her and bent down (she was much taller than Sakura), "So, what is your name, emse?"

"Sakura," she replied curtly, "Now tell me, how shall I get home? I have recently become engaged and we must commence our wedding plans immediately, and—"

Syaoran's eyes became downcast and Meiling shook her head, causing Sakura to stop mid-sentence.

"There is no way," Meiling said sadly.

Sakura's eyes widened and she put a hand on the glass door.

"No…way?"

DM: Ok so I think this is a lot better than what I originally had, mainly because what I had before created all sorts of loose ends that I never figured out how to tie up properly. Please review and let me know what you think.


	3. Vroom Vroom

DM: It's me again. Please don't be mad at me for rewriting this, but there's some stuff in here that just straight up doesn't make sense and I wanted to clarify it and improve this story. Thanks for those of you who reviewed!

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Two**

**Vroom Vroom**

Eriol was pacing the study of his English mansion, thinking in rushed flurries of barely coherent sentences.

_Sakura._ _Sakura is not gone. Sakura never left. Right now, Sakura is coming down the stairs to greet me. She is here, in this house._

As if to comply with his condemned thoughts, a few steps were heard down the hallway. Eriol stopped wearing out the wooden floor that now needed to be refinished to look to the closed door, bracing himself for Sakura's bright, smiling face. Now that he had convinced himself that Sakura did _not_ drown, he found himself quivering with anticipation at the thought of seeing her again.

But, sadly, that was not what happened. Instead of her emerald eyes and bouncing auburn locks _bursting_ through the door in a wave of chatter, he was greeted with a surprise. A rather unpleasant one, given the mood he was in. The door opened almost timidly, revealing one of Sakura's favorite maids. She had long violet hair that curled slightly at the end and wore highly reflective glasses, making it difficult to discern her eye color. Definitely not the Sakura he was expecting. In fact, Eriol was so surprised he tripped on nothing and fell over.

The girl made as if to speak, and then closed her mouth. Eriol looked up at her, embarrassed. She smiled, but only with her mouth. It was then that he remembered that this maid had been with them during the incident. Finally she spoke:

"Ummm…Sir, is this a bad time?"

Standing up quickly, scarlet with embarrassment, Eriol dusted himself off lightly.

"Uh, no, not at all…I was just doing some…um…sit-ups! Yes, sit-ups!" he said quickly, trying to laugh but only managing to breathe loudly.

Tomoyo looked slightly skeptical, but shrugged it off and relayed the message she had been given.

"The police chief called to inform you that Sakura still has not been found washed up on shore or in the water…"

At this, Eriol froze and heard no more of what Tomoyo had to say. His eyes became unfocused and soft, as he thought back to one of the happiest days of his life, an escape from the cruelty of the news.

* * *

_A girl and a boy are walking in the park. The boy gets down on one knee. The sunset creates a mysterious shadow over his face. The girl, completely bewildered, stops with him._

"_What is it?"_

"_Sakura…"he says slowly, raising his eyes to meet hers._

"_Hn?"she_ _only looks confused at his serious tone._

"_Will you…will you…?"_

"_Will I what?" she asked, getting impatient._

"_Will you marry me?" he finally asks, searching her face for her reaction._

_The girl is delighted. She gets down and hugs him happily_

"_Of course!"_

* * *

Sakura awoke happily from her dream, expecting to be in the lavish periwinkle room she shared with Eriol at the Hiiragizawa mansion. She reached to the side, expecting her beloved Eriol. Finding nothing, Sakura frowned, and opened one eye to find that she indeed was _not _in a periwinkle room, but a green one. And _not_ in their cozy sapphire satin bed, but in a white cotton one. Her frown deepened as she saw that Eriol was not next to her, and that Tomoyo did not seem to be next to her bedside. Lost in trying to remember how she got here, wherever _here _was, Sakura jumped as the door opened, revealing a young girl about her age, twenty-two.

A maid, she presumed. The girl, not noticing that she was awake, went to a fold of fabric upon the wall and pulled it open. Sakura could not stifle her gasp as a huge city came into view.

Memories from the night before flooded her mind:

_Sakura stepped back a little._

"_If I cannot return home, then-then where would I stay?" she asked apprehensively._

"_You may stay here, at the Dome, if you wish," Syaoran said, smiling and approaching her kindly._

"_Syaoron!"_ _Meiling cried, throwing a hand out to keep him next to her, " She's an emse, for crying out loud! Let her stay in an inn, or something!"_

"_Meiling,"Syaoran began, and at once they were speaking a foreign language unrecognizable to Sakura, which may very well have been Atlantician. From the look on Meiling's face, the conversation was not going her way._

"_At least check with Mother, alright?" she weedled, switching back to Japanese so that Sakura could understand._

_Syaoron_ _sighed, defeated._

"_All right._ _But we'll let her spend the night, it's the least we could do," he said in a tone that indicated that the issue was closed._

_Meiling muttered something about an inn, but nodded in agreement._ _Sakura sighed and followed Meiling in a daze to her room, where she immediately fell asleep._

Sakura sighed, how was she ever going to marry Eriol if she was stuck down here? She felt her heart become heavy at the very thought.

The maid, a girl with chestnut locks set in braids on the sides of her head, heard her sigh, and jumped slightly, as if she had been hoping to slip in and out without confrontation.

"Oh, good morning!" She said cheerily, stumbling a little on her Japanese, "Is there anything I can get you, Miss?"

"Umm…well," Sakura's stomach grumbled loudly, and she suddenly realized that she hadn't eaten since…since…_since the last time I was with Eriol…_

Tears started to form in her eyes as she remembered those last moments on the ship…

"Is something wrong, Miss?" the maid asked, looking concerned.

Snapping out of her reverie, Sakura shook away the pain and replied, as best she could,

"No, it's nothing. I'm hungry that's all." Her stomach grumbled again, this time, so loudly that the maid laughed nervously.

"Well, let me get you some fresh clothes to change into," at this Sakura looked down and realized that she was still in her clothes from the night before, "and then I'll lead you down to the Leahj for breakfast, alright, Miss?" the maid said, making the bed while Sakura looked out the window.

"Please, call me Sakura," she said, turning around to look at the maid. She had said the same thing to Tomoyo when she had first come to work for them.

"Ok, Mi-I mean, Sakura," the girl said, blushing a little at the informality of it.

"And what is your name.?" Sakura asked, and the girl fumbled a little.

"Oh, I'm Chiharu," she said, evidently nervous.

"Pleased to meet you," Sakura replied with a smile.

As Chiharu left to go get her some clothes, Sakura looked out the window and thought longingly of London…

Meanwhile, in the opposite wing of the Dome, Syaoran was rubbing his head and sighing as Meiling yelped a wild good morning. _Oi._ She had snuck into _his_ room _again_, and had now attached her arms around his neck. She rubbed her cheek affectionately against his and purred,

"Today is another beautiful day, here on perfect, _perfect_ Atlantis!!"

_Everyday is beautiful on perfect, _perfect_Atlantis._ Syaoran wrinkled his nose in distaste. Each morning it was the same. Meiling would go on and _on_ about how _wonderful_ and _perfect_ Atlantis was. Well, no two ways about it, Syaoran hated perfect. He hated it with a passion. It was just so boring.

Now that a strange surface dweller came, it added more to his already full, annoyingly aristocratic plate. He couldn't stop thinking about her and he sensed a both strange and familiar aura about her. He still couldn't figure out how she'd made a bow and arrow appear out of nowhere.

As Meiling went to her room to get dressed, Syaoran reached over to his nightstand where he had a book. The girl had dropped it while following Meiling to her room. Listening briefly to check if anyone was coming, Syaoran opened it up. Taped on the inside cover was a picture of a boy with blue hair and glasses. Instead of pages, there was only a stack of what he presumed must be tarot cards, an emse game. He sensed the aura from them, too. Was this girl some sort of psychic or magician? No normal emse had ever survived the lack of air long enough to make it down here. Syaoran puzzled on this until a shrill call startled him out of his suspicions of the emerald-eyed emse.

"Syaoran? Are you listening to me?" Meiling asked harshly. They had now arrived together at the Leahj for breakfast.

An indignant pair of ruby eyes glared at him, and Syaoran, as usual, was forced to obey.

"Yes, Meiling I'm all ears," he said half-heartedly, as he sat down at the table.

"Well, anyway, continuing on, Mother says you should take her on a tour of the Dome and the city."

Syaoran was going back into a daze when the words "Mother says" startled him to a frown. As if on cue, Meiling agreed with what she thought his reaction was.

"I know, I don't trust her either. Emse," she said quickly.

"It's not that…it's Mother. What is she planning?" Syaoran said, more to himself than to Meiling.

Now taking _her _cue, Sakura stepped timidly into the Leahj, which turned out to be a lovely terrace overlooking a coral reef. She was wearing a pastel blue gown that was slightly too long. She had to pull it up a little to keep from tripping.

"G-good morning," she said, bowing respectfully at Syaoran and Meiling, who rose to accept her.

"Good morning," Syaoran said as he bowed in return. Meiling just stood there silently, glaring fiercely at Sakura.

Sakura tugged uncomfortably at the braids looped about her ears and said nothing. They were at a stand still. Until, of course, Sakura's stomach grumbled, and all laughed slightly. As if the laughter improved her perkiness, Sakura sat down at the long, long mahogany table and asked, cheerily,

"So, what's for breakfast?"

Syaoran could not help but smile at her cuteness. _If she is really a psychic of some sort, she hides her identity well._

With that thought, he then clapped once. A straight line of chefs brought in steaming platters of food. After them came the rest of the residence of the Dome.

After breakfast (which was quite delicious even though it consisted mostly of seafood), Syaoran took Sakura around the castle. Meiling, _extremely _reluctant, had to stay and attend to her "duties" whatever those were. Syaoran had shown her the huge library and all the fancy ballrooms and such. Now, they were in the Fanajla, the main garden.

The place reminded her of a dream world. It was full of cherry blossom trees, surrounded by all sorts of roses, patches of sweet peas here and there, which are never really in season together. A fountain, running with pinkish water (from all the cherry blossom petals floating around in it) with a rock in the sun, perfect for reading was at the center, with pathways through the trees radiating from it.

Sakura just kind of stood there, her overlong skirt and looped braids (Chiharu had insisted she do her hair this way) blowing in the wind. Mouth parted, ever so much, her eyes drinking it all in.

"Sakura," Syaoran said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "if I may call you that, what is the matter?"

Her eyes left the peonies that surrounded the rock and turned to meet his amber ones.

"I'm glad to know you like my reading rock," he said, smiling mischievously. Sakura blushed.

"Come, now you must see the city." He said, leading her back inside.

* * *

The first (and most unforgettable) sound Sakura ever heard on Atlantis was huge "VROOM". Now dressed in more comfortable clothes, soft pants and a blouse made from a material she could not quite recognize, she jumped, startled into Syaoran's arms. He chuckled.

"One step from the Dome and you're scared already?"

Flushing with embarrassment, Sakura jumped down from his arms and said

"N-no, I wasn't _scared_, I was just-just _startled_. Yes, startled!"

Syaoran laughed even more at this, for, as she turned around and looked towards the great city, her eyes betrayed her words. She was _scared_.

DM: So that's it for this chapter. I hope you all liked it! It's actually a lot longer than the original. Please review and tell me what you think!


	4. Alienated

DM: Thank you all so much for your support!

Disclaimer: I only own the plot.

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Three**

**Alienated**

Sipping lightly at the strange liquid in the glass before her, Sakura gave a casual glance at her surroundings. She was sitting at a café with Syaoran for "tea." Atlantis was a beautiful place indeed. The streets were as pristine as if they were paved yesterday; with no litter or sewage, much cleaner than in England. The walls were clean of any graffiti, and everyone seemed to be happy. Suddenly, she wondered what the crime rate of this seemingly perfect city was.

Taking her hand at the sight of her troubled face, Syaoran read her mind. She was used to it now after living in Atlantis with him the past few weeks. They had visited many shops and bazaars, historical places, and, well, just the city itself, and spent most of their days together. Thankfully, his mother Yelan had been too busy to have an audience with her (though Sakura wasn't really sure what she could be busy_with_) so they pretty much did as they pleased. However, tonight she was finally to meet her.

"There haven't been any crimes committed," Syaoran was saying, using his powers on her, "Ever. There are no laws prohibiting such things, and, for some very odd reason, there aren't any that are needed."

"Weird…" Sakura said, drinking thoughtfully.

"Yeah…It gets to be so dull here. Everything is so _perfect_ and _peaceful_. Meiling loves it though. And I hate it. What's worse is mother…" Syaoran dissolved into his usual grumbling, and continued in Atlantician, now talking more to himself rather than Sakura.

He seemed to be the only one in the city with any kind of inner conflicts. In fact, he was the only one in the city with any conflicts at all. Even the children got along well. Sakura was astounded.

"Well, let's get going," Syaoran said, collecting himself and leaving their payment on the table.

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts of the weirdness of Atlantis, and suddenly realized that she had been staring at him. She blushed and nodded.

As they walked out of the gated garden café, Sakura just had to admit, with everyone speaking that strange language, and so peaceful and happy, with the ones they love, living in this, this, Utopia-that she felt strangely alienated, as if heartache was a disease, and she was on quarantine.

_Alienated…_

Syaoran cast a sideways glance at the emse next to him. He had to admit, she was extremely pretty. He could not stop looking at her.

_I'm such an idiot. She probably thinks I'm really weird…_

He looked at her again, this time touching her lightly and probing her mind a little. He could only catch one word, for a crowd of happy children scurried around their feet, laughing and playing all the while and making so much noise he could barely hear it.

_Alienated…?_

Yes, he had the power to read minds. He had no idea why, or when he had found himself with such a power. He kept it a secret from everyone else, but for some reason he was very obvious about using it with Sakura.

He looked ahead, to see the Dome in the distance. It was about noon, and the Rigna, the artificial sun which lit Atlantis shone at its highest position. He sighed. His conversation with the surface dweller had brought up again the temptation to run away. The perfection was unbearable. It hung like a mist, over him and everything around him.

_What does this place need _us _for? Atlantis can live on, royal family or no royal family…_

Once more his eyes were forced to bear the sight of the Dome.

_No, it is not a Palace, it is not a place of kings…it is a prison…_

He heard a slight gasp and realized that Sakura had not yet seen the Dome in the noon light. He had to admit, that for a prison, it had a great disguise.

"I will go to my room and change now…" Sakura said softly.

This girl was much calmer than Meiling. He wondered why his mother had allowed him to be in contact with her…Before she left, he grabbed her wrist, blushing for no reason, and asked her something that had been eating on his mind all day:

"What is this book?"

He held up the strangely marked book she had dropped on her arrival six months ago as she turned around. Her eyes widened. He decided that now would be a good time to read her mind…

"_Should I tell him? Can he be trusted with my secret? Or will he use it against me?_"

Syaoran chuckled at the flurry of questions. He looked into her eyes warmly and said,

"Don't worry, you can trust me."

Slightly taken aback, Sakura made up for her loss of face by grumbling

"That's so creepy…fine, I'll tell you."

"Please do." Syaoran grinned. This was fun.

"I am a magician. Using my key and my cards, I am one of the surface's strongest sorceresses," Sakura said, tentatively grabbing the key at her throat, which she had refused to take off before.

"And who is this?" Syaoran pointed to the picture on the inside cover, the one of the blue haired boy with the glasses.

"Oh, that's-my fiancé, E-eriol…" Tears were welling slightly in her eyes. With that, she grabbed the book and ran off to her room.

Syaoran felt terrible. But for some reason, he didn't like this Eriol character. Something was definitely odd about him…

* * *

Something was definitely odd about Eriol. He had completely worn out the floor of his study, at times went into his room for hours (the banging of a head against a wall could often be heard), and had hired several submarines to search for Sakura, 

"Even if she is dead," he had said to the funeral home director, "I would like it if we could have a proper funeral…not just the tossing of her items in a coffin…"

In spite of herself, Tomoyo was getting worried about his mental health. The loss of Sakura was turning to obsession. It had already been a few weeks, but there had been no improvement in his condition.

_But am I just saying that…because he might miss her more than I do? Because I might be unfaithful? Should I be as overwhelmed?_

Self-doubt coursed through her veins once more. Life was just so difficult…

_That's why I clung to Sakura after she hired me…she made life easier…her happiness and optimism, even the tedious cleaning tasks she assigned seemed to make my life easier…_

Ah. The life of a maid. So simple, so undemanding. But lo and behold, here she was again, with her complications and self-doubting. Because she was the one maid who was closest to Sakura, the rest of the servants treated her differently, more delicately. She had never felt so isolated in her whole life, caught between the hard-edged grief of Eriol and the nonchalance of her coworkers. To make matters worse, she lived in fear of being fired every day because now that Sakura was gone, she had nothing to do.

Tomoyo sighed. Still lost in thought, she didn't realize when Eriol walked calmly into the room.

His hair neatly combed-first time in ages, holding a rose, Eriol waited patiently for Tomoyo to finish her battle with herself before speaking.

"Tomoyo," he said calmly.

The girl looked up, trying to discreetly wipe away the tears that rolled slowly down her pale complexion. She had been dusting Sakura's bookshelf.

"Y-yes, Sir?" she asked, bracing herself for the dismissal that was sure to follow.

"What is your favorite restaurant?" he asked, tilting his head to one side.

At first shocked, Tomoyo took more time than necessary before giving her answer.

"That old French place down 4th street. I go there on my off nights. Why do you ask?" she asked suspiciously, not yet having ruled out her dismissal.

"Well, you have tonight off," he said, smiling. She shut her eyes.

"No I don't…" she protested feebly.

"Now you do." Eriol grinned. This was fun.

"Ummm…" Tomoyo looked extremely uncomfortable.

"And you will be going to Chez Gerard avec moi ce soir," he said smoothly.

Tomoyo swallowed and then inclined her head slightly. Eriol took that as an acceptance.

With that, he turned heel and left the room, leaving the rose on the bookshelf.

_Mission accomplished…, _Eriol thought to himself as he walked out.

After his footsteps had faded away, Tomoyo walked out of the room, leaving the rose where Eriol had left it.

* * *

Sakura sat in her room, back in her much too long dress, staring at her picture of Eriol. Syaoran was her only company in this place…and how she longed for Eriol…for Tomoyo…for the surface… 

Syaoran was very kind…but she still felt alienated, like an "emse", which she had learned was their word for surface-dweller.

_I have to find some way to get out of here…_

She heard a soft knock at the door, and looked up to see Chiharu, smiling cheerily.

"Sakura, it is time for you to meet the queen," she said, taking Sakura by the hand and leading her out.

"Ummm…alright…" Sakura said, but she was already in motion.

"Stay close," Chiharu said over her shoulder, "It is very easy to get lost."

Sakura gulped and nodded. She picked up her skirt with her free hand and followed the maid down the long hallways, through various twists and turns.

On the walls of some hallways there were paintings of various people. It _would_ have reminded her strongly of the hallway to the principal's office, with all those paintings of past principals staring sternly down at you, as if they_knew_ that you had done something wrong and were trying to scold you; only, these past kings weren't staring very sternly. They were smiling. Yes, smiling.

Before Sakura could puzzle over this further, they reached huge, ornate, intimidating doors covered in strange symbols. A red rope with gold tassels hung to the side. Sakura watched interestedly as Chiharu grabbed it with two hands and jumped down with all her might.

Then Sakura's eardrums were shattered. By a huge gong that sounded and the awful creaking of the giant doors as they opened to reveal a large throne room.

One hand trying (but certainly not succeeding) to sooth her poor ears, the other lifting the trailing skirt, Sakura walked rather clumsily into the throne room, where Syaoran stood anxiously beside Meiling, who glared at her with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Behind them sat a woman who Sakura supposed was Queen Yelan.

Sakura's first impression of the queen was that she was one of those women who always seem to get what they want. They are poised and calm at all times, making everyone else in the room feel awkward and clumsy. With clever words and wise remarks, these women dominate in the political world and are better than most men.

She did not look old, but something in her bearing spoke of maturity. Her long black hair had a few streaks of gray in it, but her eyes were as young and alert as ever. Sakura guessed that she must have been somewhere around sixty.

Her extreme poise and grace were intimidating Sakura already, but the voice that came from her prim mouth was not anything she expected.

"Come, child, don't be shy," she said, smiling and extending her arms.

Sakura was shocked. Her voice was quite unlike her looks: it was warm and maternal. Soothing, like the cooing of a mother to a newborn child.

"I welcome you to Atlantis."

DM: That's chapter three. Please review, it is much appreciated.


	5. The Pretty Red Book

DM: Thank you all very much for your reviews. They really brighten my day.

Disclaimer: I own only the plot and the Doctor.

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Four**

**The Pretty Red Book**

Sakura stretched lazily on the rock in the main garden, the afternoon "sun" tanning her face and arms (the only parts of her visible in that long, long dress) and a light breeze playing with her hair. Syaoran sat under her, his back against the rock, busy with some strange Atlantician book. It had been just yesterday that she had been meeting with the Queen, whom she now knew as Yelan.

"_Syaoran says that you are a magician…" she had said, smiling at the nervous girl in front of her._

"_Well, I…" Sakura started, looking around. Only Eriol had ever known about it, so how could she share it with all these people?_

"_Show me your magic," Yelan commanded gently._

_Sakura gulped and pulled her magical key from her neck and, in a quivering voice, summoned forth her wand with the incantation she had used so many times on the surface._ _She heard applause as the wand came into form. She smiled nervously and decided to use the Flower Card. It would surely put on a great show and it appeared perfectly harmless. The last thing she need was to be chased out into the ocean because she'd scared them._

"_Release!_ _Flower!"_

_Cherry blossom petals started to swirl around the room. It was a very pretty sight. Syaoran and his mother were in awe, but Meiling seemed to be angry. Why? Sakura did not know, but forgot about her immediately when Syaoran caught her eye and winked. Her heart skipped a beat._

_As soon as the spectacle ended, Yelan stood up gracefully, her robes trailing behind her, rippling like water_

"_Sakura, I must see more of this magic," she began enthusiastically, approaching Sakura with a hand outstretched, "It could help us to make Atlantis even better—"_

"_But Auntie Yelan!"_ _Meiling cut her off, " Atlantis is already perfect! We do not need this, this _emse," _Meiling threw a dirty look in her direction, "to ruin all we have wrought!"_

"_Silence!"_ _Yelan commanded, as the authority Sakura had first seen in her appeared, "She is our guest, Meiling!" Then, turning to Syaoran, she said more gently, "Syaoran, you are to help her in any way possible with whatever she needs to adapt to our life here, seeing as…" her eyes were sad now, "Seeing as she cannot…leave."_

Sakura yawned. Life was so easy here. She did not really mind not being able to leave, aside from the fact that she missed her old life. She had no responsibilities and was free to spend most of her time in the garden. With Syaoran. She snuck a peek at him as he frowned with concentration over some calculation and felt a slight blush creep up her face. He most certainly was handsome, but…

Sakura sighed and looked at the engagement ring on her finger. She couldn't bring herself to take it off. To forget Eriol, to forget the life she had on the surface, it was too hard. It was like trying to give up your oldest and most trusted teddy bear, knowing that it's for children, that you're too old for it now, but you just can't…

"Sakura," Syaoran said suddenly.

A very startled Sakura fell off the rock and missed landing in the fountain by mere inches.

"Hoe…" she groaned, rubbing her back, which had scraped against the rock on her way down.

"Are you alright?" Syaoran said, barely hiding a laugh behind his look of concern.

"Um I think so," she replied, looking away from him.

Now blushing heavily, Sakura stood up swiftly and started dusting herself off nervously.

"Anyway, I must attend my classes now; I hope to meet up with you later. Feel free to look around," he said, patting her on the shoulder in a friendly sort of manner.

And with that Sakura, laziness forgotten, followed him up to the "palace" where they separated.

After wandering about for a bit (she never seemed to be finished exploring the place, almost like it was changing every day), Sakura came upon the gorgeous library she had seen on her first tour. Inside, there was a shelf of books, reaching towards the ceiling, that went all the way around something like a sitting room. There was a ladder, and a few poofy chairs that strongly reminded her of the beanbags on the surface. She looked around, but, much to her disappointment, all the books were in Atlantician. She had not had time to learn it yet, having stayed in Atlantis for a sum of about three days. She continued to look, high and low, until she found, at the very back of the library, on the bottom shelf in the corner, a pretty red book. Written in Chinese, it was something she could read. There were seven more, each a different color. She fell back on a poof and started to read…

* * *

Eriol sat in his study quietly, staring at the empty fireplace and contemplating why he had asked Tomoyo to have dinner with him. Her words still stung him, despite the fact that he felt nothing for this woman who was nothing like Sakura. He had done as the doctor had ordered, he had put all of Sakura's pictures away. He took off his engagement ring and examined it in the dull morning light. In that he had disobeyed the doctor, as well as how he couldn't bring himself to call off the search for Sakura. Eriol heaved a sigh as the memory of last night washed over him.

"_Sir…" Tomoyo said tentatively after their food had arrived._

_At last, she had broken the awkward silence. Eriol looked up from his food._

"_Eriol," he corrected her, "not Sir"_

"_Eriol," she then said, rolling her eyes a little and taking his hand, in a comforting sort of way,_ "_I know you miss Sakura— we all do, but dating me isn't going to remedy the situation or stop the pain. Although it may feel good right now, a chance to forget about your tragic loss, you will fall deeper into your depression later, because you _cannot _forget your love for her. You don't love me. You never even liked me that much. I-I can see that this will only result in heartache." She looked away and withdrew her hand, all courage forgotten._

_Eriol was genuinely shocked. He had never seen Tomoyo speak this much at one time. But he still had to keep up with the doctor's orders._

"_But, Tomoyo—" he began._

_  
"Daidouji," she corrected coldly._

"_Fine then, Daidouji, I truly feel—" he attempted to continue, but was stopped by the look on her face. Tomoyo smirked a little, twisting her mouth in a wry sort of way._

"_Truly?_ _I truly feel that you are kidding me _and _yourself," she said, throwing her napkin down and leaving her food half unfinished._

That was a slap in the face. It woke him up from the little fantasy he had been involved in, one where Sakura could be forgotten. Eriol slumped in his armchair and let the familiar feeling of grief wash over him. He decided that Tomoyo didn't know what it felt like to lose someone. That feeling when you think about how you'll never see them again. It had only been a few days, but the doctor had told him that he had to start moving on as soon as possible, for some reason that Eriol did not really understand. It had to do with a disease of the brain of some sort that people get when they're very sad. What is it called again, he wondered aloud.

Tomoyo, who was passing by the study, stopped when she heard his voice. She knew exactly what was going on. She had seen him with that doctor, that terrible, terrible man.

_Everyone needs time to grieve_, she thought fiercely. And then she continued walking.

* * *

_Today on the news there was a report of a car accident. A little boy, scarcely four years old, and his mother died. They were hit by a drunken truck driver. The lady said it so calmly, as if she wasn't affected by it at all. I mean, how could she be? It was just another accident. Just another lost life. Like the millions lost everyday. Nothing special._

_The next report was on how the poverty rate in China was increasing rapidly. The man on the TV spoke calmly of that too, as if to say, at least it isn't me. How could he not? It _wasn't _him, after all, was it? Technically speaking, of course. _

_At last, a commercial break. First, there was an ad for condoms that glorified sex. What doesn't? _

_I stand corrected. By one of those extremely corny ads telling you to "Hold off on sex." A girl, maybe 15, has a baby in her arms and tells the story of how she smoked pot with her boyfriend and things got a little crazy and how she regrets it and how much pain labor is and how he abandoned her and how her parents disowned her and how…_

_How sad._

_But no one is truly affected by it. How can we be? It's someone else, and, besides, this sort of thing happens all the time. It can't be helped. It's human nature to be indifferent to another's pain. And to be indifferent is to be imperfect. Imperfect…_

_Once again I am greeted in the morning at school with the fact that he doesn't love me. He loves _her_. Forget my advances. He loves me as a friend. If he doesn't hate me, that is. They hold hands walking into school. They kiss behind teachers' backs. I dream that it is me there. Not her. Me. I love him so much. She loves him so much. _

_Am I ugly? Am I mean? Am I stupid? Or is it my thighs? Whatever it is, he doesn't love me. And never will love me. Never._

_Once again I am greeted at night with the dream that _is _but a dream. In this place, anything can happen. He loves me. I love him. We are destined to be together forever. But forever only lasts 'til morning. How I wish I could whisk him away to this world. Let the ocean wash away his love for her. And replace it with love for me._

_But I'm just being selfish. He has the right to love whomever he chooses. I cannot interfere. Much as I say this, I still am selfish. Nothing can change that. It is human nature to be selfish. And to be selfish is to be imperfect._

Sakura's eyes widened. This wasn't a book. It was a diary. She heard a noise in the hall and quickly snapped it shut and slammed it back on the shelf. She then got up and ran out of the library, tripping on her dress and falling flat on someone's face.

It was Syaoran. She looked up into his eyes and then burst into tears. She buried her face in his chest as the magnitude of everything fell on her. She was never going to see Eriol again. The girl's diary had awakened her.

Syaoran, confused but warm, put his arms around her and let her cry.

DM: Ok so that's that. It's a little different than before, seeing as the surface world had no antagonist and was kind of boring. Please review!


	6. Touya

DM: Hey there, all. I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner, I've been kinda busy.

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS.

**Chapter Five**

**Touya**

Sakura awoke, stretched, and yawned, enjoying the morning sunshine pouring through the window. She stopped in mid-yawn. She had been dreaming about someone…who was it?

_Ah, Eriol…_ She thought, realizing that she was dreaming about a walk in the park they had taken a long time ago. He had asked her something important…what was it?

As hard as she tried, she could not bring Eriol's face to her mind. She had forgotten what he looked like. She rushed to the Sakura book, where she kept a picture of him always taped to the inside front cover. Sure enough there he was, just where she had left him. His blue hair was a little mussed and he was adjusting his glasses. They were still in high school. Now that she looked closely, there was a group of three people in the background.

However, she slammed the book shut quickly as Syaoran walked into her room. She nervously shoved it away from her when she looked at him.

_Why do I not want him to see me looking at Eriol?_ She thought confusedly. Syaoran took a step closer to her, and she retreated. He was talking to her.

"Something wrong?" he asked, grabbing both her shoulders.

"Ah? No, nothing's wrong!" Sakura said quickly, shaking off his shoulders a little abruptly, "Why do you ask?" She laughed nervously.

"Well," he said, scratching the back of his head, "You didn't respond when I said good morning or anything, so I wondered what was going on…" he looked away.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry," Sakura said. She wasn't listening again. Her heart was beating too fast. For some reason it was imperative that she know what day it was, how long she had spent there.

"Sakura?" Syaoran asked waving his hand in front of her face. The sudden movement was too much for her, and she fell backwards, tripping Syaoran and causing him to fall on her as well. They both landed on the bed together with a soft thud.

Sakura stared up into his eyes, feeling his warm breath on her chin. Her face suddenly felt very hot. She was painfully aware of several things: they were on a bed, she was in her pajamas, they were completely alone, and Syaoran was extremely good-looking (even close up). The door decided to burst open at that moment.

"Syaoran! What are you doing in here?" Meiling's voice quavered strangely. For a second, Sakura swore that the ceiling opened up. But then everything was back to normal as Syaoran got off her. It wasn't quick or nervous, but almost nonchalant. Meiling smiled and took his hand, and they left the room without any notice of Sakura. Syaoran didn't even look behind him.

Sakura sat up a breathed a sigh of relief, or something like it. She wasn't sure what she had been feeling. Unfortunately, she couldn't suppress a twinge of annoyance at Meiling's interruption and Syaoran's cold attitude. She hadn't imagined that look in his eyes…or had she?

She scooted to the edge of the bed, and noticed a wet patch. She looked up at the ceiling and realized, the ceiling _had_ opened up. But why? Sakura wondered what had happened. However, she decided to simply ask Yelan about it later.

Now that Syaoran was gone, she could think clearly again. She had been here almost six months, which meant that her wedding would be taking place if she had been on the surface. Sakura curled up in a little ball on the bed.

It wasn't that she hadn't _tried_ to get back to the surface. She had tried every card in every combination she could to get out, but she was too weak. Her initial attempt had almost had her killed, when Windy had given out and she almost drowned. She sighed and sat up.

Just as she did so, Syaoran came into the room again. Still embarrassed by their previous awkward exchange, Sakura blushed unconsciously.

"Don't look at me with that face," Syaoran said softly. Sakura didn't hear him and looked at him quizzically.

_Don't look at me with that adorable face…_Syaoran thought, remembering how it had felt to be close to her. His eyes fell on her engagement ring. To be honest, he had watched her attempts to escape with a little apprehension. He didn't know whether he wanted her to stay or not.

"Oh yea, Syaoran, why did you come in here earlier?" she asked, fidgeting a little under his stare.

"Ah. Today is a special day, that's why," Syaoran said, remembering now, "It's a festival. Your maid will help you get ready and stuff. I just wanted to be the one to tell you…" Syaoran said awkwardly. He kind of shuffled out of the room.

"Uh, thanks!" Sakura called after him, confused. She fiddled with her ring.

What an awkward day it was turning out to be…

* * *

Eriol sat, dressed in his wedding tuxedo, in his study, gazing at Sakura's picture. And although his eyes seemed to stare longingly at hers, immortalized by a 1-hour-photo, it wasn't with real longing that he stared.

He felt guilty. He had seen the doctor regularly during the past six months, and had lied to his face most of the time. He didn't know why, but something kept him from following his orders: he didn't take his medication, he didn't talk to anybody, he didn't call off the submarine search for Sakura.

However, he felt even more guilty because the pain was ebbing away now. He no longer felt that terrible loneliness, that raging desire to see her again. Maybe he was finally beginning to accept what had happened.

Someone knocked at the door and Eriol turned his head slowly from the picture.

"Come in…" he said, sounding tired.

Was that how he always sounded nowadays? How in love _was _he with her? The answer to his question came when an angel, _his_ angel, came floating through the door. Wearing the dress they had picked out together, the veil completely covering her face.

A ghost?

An apparition?

Not that Eriol was superstitious.

"Eriol…"

The Sakura came closer and placed a hand on his cheek. Eriol, was now breathing heavily. Was this really his Sakura? Come back from the dead? Just when he had seemed to get over her she tormented him like this.

_Perhaps, _he thought, _I've gone insane_.

Eriol tenderly reached up to the veil, and, before the Sakura could stop him flicked it back.

"Hah! I caught you!" he said, although, to be honest, he was half-expecting to see Sakura there.

"I…um…I…" Tomoyo blushed horribly and was about to turn away when Eriol caught her shoulder.

"I must know…Why did you do this? Do I really seem so pathetic? So upset?" he asked, searching her eyes with his own.

"Well, I—" she began, but then stopped.

Eriol grinned at her.

"You weren't _worried _about me, were you?" he asked coyly.

Tomoyo looked at him indignantly and folded her arms across her chest.

"Well…Yes, yes I was."

Eriol was shocked. She had refused to fall into his little trap. She took that opportunity to run away.

_Stupid!_ She cursed herself, running as fast as she could. _He was offended._

She hadn't intended for him to discover her. She had wanted simply to give him some kind of closure. Where did she get off, anyway, pretending to be Sakura?

_He probably hates me now_, she thought when she arrived back in her room, and wondered why she cared so much.

Unbeknownst to Tomoyo, Eriol was humming happily where she had left him.

_It's nice to be worried about_, he thought, smiling.

* * *

It was the festival of love, or so Chiharu had told her. It came around once a year and she was lucky to be there for it, especially this year. Because everything was perfect

_Perfect…_

Her thoughts drifted to the diaries. She had finished the red one, and was now reading the blue. Sakura thought back to the last entry she had read:

"_She's virtually perfect…"_

_One day, I got my chance. I went out on a date with him. But I don't think he thought of it as a date. Because the entire time he talked about _her._ It hurt. It hurt to hear him tell her praises over an ice-cream sundae. As much as it would have hurt to hear him tell my faults._

_What _is _perfect? What is the true meaning of this word that makes people so desperate? A dictionary definition states quite plainly, 'Without flaws, superlative.' _

_But how can one have no flaws? No human is perfect, it's impossible, because we're _human_. So then why would a race so doomed to imperfection create an adjective to label something they will never have? It is a mystery that no one is willing to solve. For it would break us of the delusion that we can be perfect. That there is hope._

_But the only place with true hope and true perfection is in dreams. The escape from harsh realities where I can be perfect. And he can be perfect too…_

More than ever Sakura admired the girl. There was a certain intelligent reasoning in every entry.

Sakura tugged at the strange clothing. It was a strapless dress that fell to the floor, with something shawl-like over it that covered one arm, all a pale pink. Her hair was put up in two buns, with cherry blossoms around them. She was also instructed to hold a large pink fan.

Syaoran and Meiling walked further up, with Meiling insisting that they hold hands and go to every game booth that involved couples. Sakura was basically left to wander. It reminded her of the Japanese festivals she had gone to as a child. After a bit, she found a small stage, where some actors were apparently playing out the story of the festival. One was tall, with black hair and a mask over his eyes. The other, his partner, was a woman, with long brown hair. She had come just in time, and sat down on a mat to watch:

A narrator's voice came on in several languages. Sakura couldn't stifle her laugh: as if there were tourists 20,000 leagues under the sea!

"Long ago, when Atlantis was young…Many a people dreamed of the love that would not be theirs…And yet, no one fell in love. Everyone was amiable, but no one was in love. I suppose the delusion that they would find their true love made them unable to put in the work to find love…"

The woman stepped on the stage, her hair and the pale silver dress she wore fluttering in a slight breeze. Her eyes looked incredibly sad

"Then a girl found herself in love with her best friend."

The man was now on the stage. He was wearing a simple robe made of a blue cloth. He was holding a hoe, and made as if he was working in some field or something. The girl watched with a wistful look on her face. You could hardly tell she was acting.

"Tried as she might…"

The girl was now giving him some cookies, which he ate gratefully.

"She could not seem to make him like her as anything more then a friend."

The girl was alone now, huddled in a fetal position in the middle of the stage. Her tears looked real.

"Then, at the festival of the moon, a strange thing happened."

The girl was now dressed in a garb like Sakura's, only it had the moon and other geometric symbols around it and she wore a small tiara. The man wore what looked like a yukata and a third girl wore something similar to the first one. The third girl had blue eyes, but that was all Sakura could tell about her, since she wore a veil as well as the tiara.

"She saw her friend in the arms of another."

The man and the woman proceeded to embrace and then kiss in the middle of the stage. The woman seemed happy, but the guy looked kind of revolted (_not much of an actor, _she thought). The girl was further to the side, and burst into tears. She dashed off the stage. The man noticed, and the woman looked like she was telling him to go after her. He did and she followed.

"The girl ran to the opening near the sea. She felt that only the world outside could wash the pain away. But her friend and his love came to stop her."

The girl was back on stage, and ran to the edge, and made as if to jump. The man and other girl came running up behind her. The other girl grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her away from the edge. The girl pulled out a knife and made as if she stabbed her. The blue-eyed girl fell to the floor, presumably dead.

"In a fit of blind rage, she stabbed the girl, but didn't kill her. Her friend came to console her, but she pushed him away, and tripped backwards and fell into the water. And in one moment, he realized that he truly loved her, and jumped in after."

The man and the first girl jumped into a trapped door, right in front of the stage, in an embrace. The narrator stepped out, he had gray-white hair and hazel eyes. The girl, the man, and the blue-eyed girl stood up next to him. The girl with the long brown hair took the mike and spoke in a very pretty voice,

"Legend has it that the girl who survived created this festival to honor their love."

Everyone burst into applause. Sakura did as well, but with some hesitation. She didn't really find the story believable. It was clear that even if he loved the first girl, the second girl was important to him too. He wouldn't just leave her behind, would he?

The man took the mike.

"And now, for our wonderful cast! Narrating,"

He turned to the hazel-eyed man and smiled at him with genuine affection.

"Tsukishiro Yukito. The main girl, Akizuki Nakuru. The second girl, Kaguranu Shiko. And, the main man, me, Makino Touya!"

"Thank you, and have a great time at the festival!"

Sakura turned and saw Meiling and Syaoran sitting a further way off. They must have watched the play, too. Looking closer, she saw Syaoran lost in thought and Meiling drying tears. Sakura decided to let them be and went around, now hungry, to find food. She met up with the main girl in the line for a strange type of dumpling that seemed really popular.

"You are a great actress, Akizuki-san," Sakura said loudly, patting her on the back.

The girl looked kind of surprised. She turned and gave her a quizzical look.

"You really liked it?" she asked, looking around to make sure Sakura was actually talking to her.

"Yes, of course I did! Your tears were so real! You had much more emotion than any of the other actors," she replied enthusiastically.

The girl smiled. More like, her mouth smiled. Her eyes looked incredibly sad, just like in the play. When she looked wistfully at Touya, Sakura knew why. She wasn't really acting…

"Well, goodbye now!" she said quickly, feeling as though she had just eavesdropped or something.

"Nice meeting you…" Nakuru said softly.

The girl left Sakura with two of those dumpling things, called _konpe. _Sakura didn't know what was in it, but she tried one anyway. It couldn't hurt…

"Mmph-What _is_ this?!"

Sakura started to choke on the awful stuff. Suddenly, a hand whacked her back and saved her. She stood gasping for air a minute and then turned to her rescuer.

"Th-thanks..." she said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"No problem."

It was the man from the play, Makino Touya.

"What's _in_ this, anyway?" she asked, gesturing to the stuff in her hand.

"Oh, I see..."

He laughed and popped her other, untouched konpe in his mouth.

"You're not from around here, are you?" he asked.

"How'd you know?"

He smirked.

"Number one, you don't speak Atlantician."

"…" she blushed.

"Number two, sea urchin is an _acquired _taste."

"Sea urchin?!"

At this, Sakura almost fell over. Sea urchin? Gross!! (a/n: Actually, it's not that bad…)

"So, what's your name?"

"Kinomoto Sakura."

"Nice to meet you, I'm—"

"Makino Touya, yes I know. I saw that play."

"Oh really? Did you like it? I'm not really that good, I'm just a peasant who likes acting. Not a professional."

Sakura would have answered if Touya hadn't gasped. He stared to the left, and a blush covered his face. Sakura looked in the same direction, trying to figure out what could have captivated him so.

"Oooooooooh," she said, giggling.

Touya jumped out of his reverie, and his face got even redder.

"W-what?"

"You like Tsukishiro, don't you?"

"What?! I don't! I…we…uhm…"

Sakura laughed. It was really funny, in a comforting sort of way, that someone needed something, even in this perfect little bubble.

"You should tell him," she said, trying to stop the laughter.

"I've tried," he said, looking down.

"A_ha_! So you _do_ like him!" She poked his ribs playfully.

"Alright, you've proved your point. It doesn't matter anyway. Not like he would ever like me back…" he looked sadly away.

"Come on now, don't say that. Look, I'll help you out, I've got an idea."

She tapped her head thoughtfully with the fan.

"Make sure you two are at that big orange café tomorrow,"

"The Lunatea?"

"Um, yeah, I think…" she said, not actually knowing what it was called. "Anyway, be there at, um, noon. I'll take care of the rest."

With a wink, Sakura walked away. After even more wandering, she found herself in a garden.

"Lover's Knot…"

Sakura heard voices coming from deeper in. She followed them until she came to a bridge.

"One little kiss?" she saw the back of Syaoran's head and Meiling's face.

"No, Meiling," he said, turning away. She felt her heart skip a beat and noticed that he looked great in profile, too.

"Please?" she asked, pouting.

"I _said_ no!" he said, taking a step away from her.

"But I'm your fiancée!" she pressed forward.

"Meiling!" he recoiled again.

_Why are they speaking Japanese and not Atlantician? _Sakura wondered.

"Fine, be that way," she said angrily, and left, "we have all of eternity anyway."

Meiling left Syaoran at the bridge. Syaoran heaved a deep sigh and looked over the side of the bridge, where there were several fish, swimming happily in a pond with a small waterfall. There were huge willow trees, with branches dipping in the water, and daffodils surrounding the place.

"Syaoran?" she called tentatively, when she was sure that Meiling was out of earshot.

"Sakura?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Uhm, hey," she said. Now that she had seen him up close, she recalled their awkward morning.

"Hi," he replied.

They stood in an awkward silence for a moment.

_Is he remembering this morning? _She asked herself.

_How exactly does he feel about me?_

_And why _did _the ceiling open up?_

She sighed and saw him blush. So he _was_ remembering it. She smiled. He smiled back.

"Sakura," Syaoran said in a serious tone, "I'm not sorry that you're stuck here."

Sakura's mouth fell open. Did he mean what she thought he meant?

"Anyway, I think I hear Meiling calling. Let's go back," he turned away and began walking.

"Hey, wait up—" Sakura called, but she then tripped coming down the little steps and fell on him just as he was turning around.

"This is familiar," he said, groaning with the pain of the impact.

"Uh, yea…" she said, opening her eyes and realizing that their noses were practically touching.

"Syaoran!" Meiling called, unseen.

The two were off each other in a split-second.

Sakura smiled at Syaoran's back as he walked, bickering with Meiling.

_I'm not really sorry either,_ she thought, smiling.

DM: Hooray for parallel structure! Anyway, I hope you guys got that Makino Touya is Kinomoto Touya. I just didn't want to give him the same name as Sakura… Anyway, I hope you liked that, PLEASE REVIEW because this chapter is actually different in terms of plot than the original. I'd like to know what you think. Thanks so much!


	7. Matchmaking

DM: Hey everybody! Sorry, I would have updated last weekend but I had a term paper due…

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS.

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Six**

**Matchmaking**

In the morning light that filtered through the library windows, Sakura sat on a pink pouf, reading a green book. She was completely enthralled as she read:

"_Come, dear child," she says, "Come into the warmth."_

_Oh, great. As if I wasn't crazy enough as is. Now I have odd little voices bugging me in my sleep. But…I want it so much. To have what she shows me. To live in a perfect world. With him. I cannot help but listen._

_This place. It's all my dreams. "And more," she says, "And much more." I have everything here. But him. Why does he not come? Not come into the warmth? It is wonderful here. It is _perfect_. But it only lasts eight hours. It disappears the moment the infernal alarm-clock-from-Hell tells me to wake up and smell the depression. Typical of all things in my life…_

"_But there is a way," she says, taunting me, "A way to stay here forever. Forever. With him." I see the one I love. The one I love that loves another. "And you can keep _her _out, too." I see the one _he _loves. She is pretty. Prettier than me. She is probably kind, too. Kinder than me by far. I cannot bear the sight of her._

_Is this what perfect means? To have everything one wants, has ever wanted, no matter how temporary? I am willing to accept it as so. But I am only human. And humans tend to seek the easy way out. "Come," she says again, "Come into the warmth..."_

Sakura paused and set the book down on the low table next to her. Things had suddenly become extremely disturbing. However, something about the writer's style reminded her of someone, but she couldn't remember who. _Anyway, this perfect place she was talking about, _she thought, _was that Atlantis?_

* * *

Tomoyo could not help but blush, as Eriol led her down from his car. They had failed at dinner once before, and now, they supposed, would be a good time to try again. Mainly because they had "become better acquainted"…

Tomoyo turned even redder at the thought. But one thing had worried her as she thought back to that night, three days ago, and a week after the anniversary of Sakura's death:

"_What's this?" he had asked, tracing the teardrop-shaped scar in the middle of Tomoyo's chest._

"_Oh…that's…that's from…" she struggled to make something up._

_Tomoyo put her hand on his. Just thinking about it brought back painful memories._

"_That's from a childhood injury…" she lied._

_But Eriol had already fallen asleep. Tomoyo breathed a sigh of relief. At least he did not have to hear her lie. Lies make one's life more complicated. And she hated complicated._

Tomoyo touched the scar, hidden beneath her clothes. She tried not to think about it, and had worn a dress that covered it, so Eriol would not think about it, either. But, at least there wasn't the tension that was there before. Tomoyo gathered up the long skirt as she proceeded, arm in arm with Eriol, up the steps to _Chez Gerard.. _

* * *

Sipping lightly, Sakura found that she had grown to like the strange liquid before her. _Oofan_, it was called. It reminded her of Oolong tea. Kinda. Well, not really. Maybe it was just the names. She looked up at the clock tower that was coming out of the café. It was almost noon.

"So, why are we here, To-ya?" she heard Yukito's soft and pleasant voice ask cutely.

"Uhm…well, I was just kinda hungry, that's all," Touya mumbled in reply.

"Oh, ok!" Yukito answered.

Sakura waved at the tomato-red boy and gestured at the table next to her, unseen by his happy companion. She then hid her face behind a newspaper. Little did they know, she had her Sakura cards in her pocket. This was going to be a lot of fun. Touya might hate her afterwards, but it was going to be fun.

She had been encouraging him from the sidelines during the past six months since she had met him at the festival. So far, he had managed to become friends with the one he loved.

"Bubble…" she whispered, watching them.

As soon as the waiter had left, Yukito's Oofan started to float away in a bubble. Then Yukito started to float away, too. And then Touya. And Touya's Oofan. They floated up and landed on the clock tower, their Oofans after them, much to the amazement of everyone in the café. But soon Meiling and Syaoran showed up for their weekly date, and everyone became too enthralled by their "most happy and perfect" couple to care about the two boys drinking tea on the clock tower.

Sakura longed to wave at Syaoran, but the fact that Meiling was glaring at her newspaper disguise made her think against it. She tried not to feel jealous. Instead, she reached into her pocket.

"Flower…" she called softy.

Sakura petals surrounded Touya and Yukito. She could see Touya glance at her. She gave him the thumbs-up sign. Yukito was laughing happily at the flowers. Too bad it wouldn't last for long.

"Windy…" she said, smiling cruelly.

A particularly strong gust of wind blew Yukito off the clock tower. Touya reacted just in time. He was holding on to Yukito's arm, trying to keep him from falling. Thank the good Lord that Meiling had just done something crazy to attract everyone's attention, the nature of which Sakura could no discern, as she was too preoccupied with the two men.

"Illusion…" she whispered, just in case.

Suddenly, no one could see them but her. Sakura frowned. Touya wasn't nearly as strong as she'd hoped. Yukito was still hanging.

"Power…" she said, miffed that she had to use it.

Touya was finally able to pull Yukito up to safety. She bet he felt like a hero. Oh well.

"Sleep…"

She laughed at Touya's shocked face. Yukito had fallen asleep in his arms.

"Bubble…"

Still under illusion, they floated back to their table. The Oofans floated back to their proper spots. Yukito was still asleep. But not for long.

"Return, Sleep and Illusion…" she said.

Yukito's eyes snapped open.

"To-ya!" he cried.

Yukito grabbed Touya's shirt, urgently, and spoke very fast, making wild gestures with his other arm.

"To-ya, I had the strangest dream! I dreamt that you and I were drinking Oofan in the sky! And there were all these flowers, too! Then I was falling…And you grabbed me and tried to save me, but couldn't! And then you suddenly were an angel! And you saved me! And…then you said…" he suddenly stumbled over the last few words.

Touya froze. Yukito looked down at his hands and blushed.

"And…then you said what I most want to hear," he said shyly.

Not noticing that Touya had fallen down with surprise, Yukito looked up, tears forming in his eyes.

"To-ya…this dream…This dream was a sign…that if I don't tell you now…I might never get to…" he said proudly.

Touya looked up, eyes hopeful.

"I love you, Touya," he said, finally turning around to see him sitting on the floor.

Touya looked like he wanted to do something romantic, but he had frozen in shock. And could only stand up.

"Earthy…" Sakura sighed, annoyed at his silliness.

The ground beneath their table started to shake, and Touya fell forward, his lips meeting Yukito's. They both turned red. Sakura had taken a gamble on no one in the café being homophobic, and it had paid off. Sakura, pleased with what she had done, got up, left her money on the table and left. Turning around once to wink at Touya, who mouthed a thank you, Sakura did not realize that she was being watched by two pairs of eyes.

* * *

No matter how many ways he looked at it, it made no sense. He had thought himself doomed when Meiling wanted to go get some Oofan with him, but, imagine his surprise when he saw the one he most wanted to see at the café. She was wearing a simple, yet conspicuous orange dress, and was hiding behind a newspaper, glancing up at the clock tower quite shiftily. Magical surges kept coming from her at random times.

_What was she doing? _He wondered.

Shaking him out of his thoughts was a soft knock at the door. At this hour?

"Come in…" he called softly, expecting it to be Meiling.

The door opened slowly, and in stepped Sakura, dressed in a pale green nightgown. Her hair was a little messy.

"Sorry…I couldn't sleep," she mumbled, obviously too tired to think straight.

Syaoran got off his bed and closed the door behind her, as quietly as he could.

"It's alright, as long as Meiling doesn't find out," he whispered.

She nodded resolutely in a drunken sort of way, rubbing one eye with a fist. Syaoran couldn't help himself and kissed her. 

"Syaoran…" she said, waking up a little to stare at him, a little surprised.

She looked out the window, blushing. In the year that she had spent here, she had never imagined that this would be happening.

"Hn?" he asked, putting his arms around her.

He nuzzled his head against her neck. _I don't care about rules anymore_, he thought.

"Those stars…are they real?" she asked. She immediately wanted to slap herself afterwards for bringing up something so stupid.

Syaoran glared out the window.

"No. They, like our sun, are only imposters of those things above the surface that you call stars. We call these fake ones Yomoto."

She turned around, and her emerald eyes peered sadly into his amber ones. He felt himself turn to jelly. But there was one thing he wanted to know.

"What were you doing?" he asked.

"Hn?" she replied, placing her head against his chest. He stroked her hair.

"At the café. I sensed magic," he said softly.

"Oh, that," she giggled.

Sakura stepped back a little and looked up at him..

"I was helping a friend."

She then stretched and wrapped her arms around his neck. He felt her hands fondle his hair.

"Syaoran…"

He almost melted as she whispered his name in his ear.

"Syaoran, what were you doing outside, on the night you found me?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

He remembered, with a little pain, why.

"Running away," he answered.

"Running away?"

"Yup, no two ways about it, I was running away."

She now leaned back, holding his shoulders in her warm hands.

"But…where would you have gone?" she asked.

"I…don't know," he said, "But I won't run away again."

They both smiled at each other. Syaoran kissed her again. Sakura didn't really know what to make of it. They had always just been friends before.

_Maybe it's just cause we're so tired_, she thought as they fell cuddling on the bed.

DM: Well, there you have it, folks! I'll update again soon, don't worry.


	8. Where There's a Will

DM: Boy I am so fast! Don't you love it? Anyways, this chapter is a special treat, since it's completely original (ie it's not based off what I wrote five years ago). Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Seven**

**Where There's a Will…**

Sakura woke up but didn't open her eyes. The bed was really warm…she wondered if Chiharu would let her sleep in today…She snuggled closer to her warm huggy pillow. She had had a nice dream. Syaoran had been in it…

Just then, her pillow sneezed. Sakura froze, and then slowly opened her eyes. The back of Syaoran's neck was right in front of her face. She sprang away from him and scooted to the edge of the bed. She watched as one of his large hands came around to scratch his back. She turned over to lie facing the ceiling.

This was not her room.

Sakura lifted up the covers a little and noted with some relief that she was still wearing her jammies.

So now, the question remained, what was she doing in here? Syaoran mumbled in his sleep. She climbed over and peered at him. He had a small hickey on his neck and was smiling.

_Did I do that?_ Sakura wondered, blushing. She thought about it a little longer, and images from the night before came pouring into her brain.

She and Syaoran had made out.

Syaoran's eyes twitch, and he looked like he was about to wake up. Sakura didn't notice, because she was still marveling at the fact that she made out with another woman's fiancé.

Still half asleep, Syaoran wrapped his arms around Sakura's neck and pulled her down into a kiss. Sakura pulled herself away abruptly. This woke him up.

"Oh, good morning," he said, smiling and caressing her cheek.

"What do you mean good morning?" Sakura asked frantically, getting up and pacing about the room, "What time is it? What if someone sees me here? Your engagement will be ruined!"

Syaoran propped his head up on one elbow and watched her with amusement. She shot him a glare.

"You're silly," he said, motioning for her to come back to the bed, "It's not like we did anything really naughty."

"But what would Meiling say?" Sakura cried, ignoring his request and continuing to pace, "And anyway, aren't you engaged? Don't you feel bad?" She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Hey, hey," Syaoran protested, finally sitting up, "We aren't engaged cause we _like_ each other or anything. Did you not enjoy it?"

"Who cares if I did?" she snapped, plopping next to him and sighing.

"You worry too much," he said, putting his arms around her and kissing her forehead. She recoiled a little. Syaoran sighed.

"Ok fine, I'll prove to you that Meiling's and my engagement is not based off feelings," he said.

Sakura looked down, and then glared, "What about last night? Was that not based off feelings either? You kissed me on the lips!" She was getting a little angry.

"Sakura," he said seriously, taking her face in his two hands and looking her straight in the eyes, "I love you." She blushed furiously.

"And I didn't just kiss you on the lips, either," he added, smiling as he released her. Sakura looked confused. He pointed at her neck.

Already knowing what she would find, Sakura rushed to a mirror. She had a lovely collection of hickeys on her neck and collarbone.

"What the Hell did you do that for?" she blushed. He laughed.

"It's not my fault you're sexy," he said teasingly.

"So not funny," she mumbled. When she turned around to the bed, Syaoran was staring at her with a very serious look on his face.

"What?" she asked, wondering if there was something more.

"Sakura, I told you my feelings. Why won't you tell me yours?" he asked softly. At that moment he looked very young. Sakura felt the heat rising in her face and would have replied, but then someone began banging on the door.

"Syaoran! How many times have I told you not to lock the door?" Meiling's voice cut through the awkward silence.

"You'd better go," he whispered, gesturing to the window.

Giving him one last glance, Sakura hopped out the window. Good thing it was the first floor, since she didn't have her cards with her.

"Syaoran?" she heard Meiling screech, "What's that on your neck?"

Sakura stopped in her tracks, but she couldn't hear Syaoran's reply, as it was too soft.

Whatever it was, it was not satisfactory because Meiling began cursing at him in Atlantician. Sakura ran away, lest she would be found at the scene of the crime.

However, the next step she took sank into the ground. A hole had opened up in the ground and she had stepped into the water! She recoiled immediately and fell down next to the hole.

Inside the water, she could see a lot of chains, and someone's hand trapped by them. She reached towards it, but jumped back as the hole began to close up.

She walked back to her room, lost in thought, wondering about the hole. She had seen a hole open up once before, also when Meiling was very angry. She touched a pillar. The Dome was very solid. Maybe Meiling was a magician who could act as the Through card, and pass through solid materials. Maybe she couldn't control her powers quite yet.

The chained hand; however, Sakura could not explain. She resolved to talk to Meiling about it later.

* * *

The doctor had come to visit, and was very pleased to find that Eriol had started a new romantic relationship after the death of his fiancée approximately one year ago.

He had been introduced to a blushing maid, by the name of Tomoyo, who was her master's new lover.

As soon as he had left, with the knowledge that he would not be needed for a while, a lawyer arrived.

"What is your business with Mr. Hiiragizawa, Sir?" Tomoyo asked politely. He took his hat in his hands and bowed as Eriol came to the door.

"I'm so sorry to be troubling you," he said, "But a relative of the Miss Kinomoto who once resided here has passed away, and she has been included in their will."

"Sakura had no relatives she knew of. Her parents died in an accident, and no relative ever came to get her," Eriol said, suddenly suspicious of this man.

"That may be why her grandfather has left such a large sum to her. Anyway, as she is also deceased, and without a will, the money will pass to you," he replied.

"Very well, come in. But I don't want the money. Put it in a separate bank account. I'll deal with it later," Eriol said curtly, ushering him in.

That night, Eriol rested his head on Tomoyo's chest, holding her tight, and stayed that way until they both fell asleep.

* * *

Unfortunately, after being scolded by Chiharu for sneaking out, and searching everywhere, Sakura realized that Meiling was avoiding her. She clearly suspected her in that morning's incident. Sakura sighed.

It was now after noon, and she was following Meiling towards the library. The other girl still looked very angry. However, a hand reached out from a little nook and grabbed her, pulling her in.

"Syao—" he cut her off with a kiss. When he finally released her, he looked very hurt.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" he asked accusingly. Sakura looked down.

The truth was, she wanted to talk to Meiling about her dangerous powers, and in order to do that, she would need to stay away from him.

"No reason," she replied instead.

"I love you," he repeated, "When will you answer me?" His eyes searched hers.

"Come on, let me show you something," he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her in the opposite direction from the library. They walked down a hallway that Sakura had never bothered to explore, since one of the maids told her that people weren't allowed there anyway.

"Here we are," Syaoran said as they entered a sort of treasure-room. In the center, in a glass case, was a long scroll of paper. He pointed to it.

"That's my dad's will," he told her, pushing her towards it. He pointed to a small paragraph about three-quarters of the way down, and asked her to read it.

"It is my dying wish that my son, Syaoran, at a time of his choosing, takes my beloved niece Meiling as his bride. However, if he should find someone more suitable than Meiling to be his wife, he may choose the one he loves the most," Sakura read.

"There? You see?" he asked, gripping her shoulders, "My feelings for you are genuine."

Sakura let him kiss her, and then stepped back.

"Syaoran," she said smiling, "I love you too."

He was so happy he leapt towards her, but she avoided his embrace, saying:

"But we have to keep this a secret," and thinking only of his safety.

"Fine, now let me hug you," he replied. They both laughed.

That was how their love affair began.

DM: So there you have it, a completely original chapter inserted in the story! Meiling's a little scary, huh? Anyway, please review! Also, if any of you like Ouran High School Host Club, please go to my profile and check out my poll! The next fic I'm going to write will involve the coupling that wins the poll!


	9. Reminiscing

DM: Hey guys, I'm back again. Thanks for your reviews! I'm sorry that I've been updating my other CCS fic, Curses, like crazy, so I haven't had much time for this one. By the way, I got into Princeton! Yay! I'm so happy!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS.

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Eight**

**Reminiscing**

Chiharu sat braiding Sakura's hair in the garden. It was a part of the garden where huge walls jutted out from a tower, like spiral steps and grapevines wove their way around to the top. Hidden in a small valley between the walls, the two girls gossiped together about other members of the castle. Sakura was now a member of the court, being the resident magician and all, but she did not like those snooty aristocrats one bit. Chiharu was quickly becoming her best friend and confidante, similar to how it was with Tomoyo on the surface. But after two years in the city, Sakura was at last beginning to feel comfortable: she was not an alien anymore.

"So, Chiharu," Sakura began, grinning slyly, "What's this I hear of you and that kitchen boy?"

Chiharu was so surprised at that comment that she pulled the next loop of the braid _way_ too tightly.

"Ow," Sakura yelped, massaging her scalp.

Chiharu didn't notice. She had turned crimson and was staring at her hands. They were wringing her apron in nervousness and embarrassment.

"You like him don't you?" she teased, "Yamazaki, was it?"

The other girl didn't reply, but her hands worked even faster at twisting, which Sakura took as an affirmative answer.

"You should tell him," she advised.

Still no response. Sakura sighed and continued:

"He likes _you_, or so they say—"

"They say wrong," Chiharu interrupted at last (much to Sakura's delight), "He likes…" she trailed off.

"He likes…?" Sakura prodded. The half-finished braid slipped loose around her shoulders.

"Meiling," Chiharu replied after a pause, "The princess."

Sakura fell over laughing. How could anyone like _her_? Sakura had never seen her treat anyone except Syaoran and Queen Yelan with kindness. What was worse, she sometimes suspected that Meiling knew about the romance between Sakura and Meiling's said fiancée. You had to feel sorry for her, though.

Something about Chiharu's embarrassment caused her to remember something from a long time ago. There was a time, she was sure, when she was in the same position as Chiharu. It seemed so far away now, the images fuzzy and blurred together in her brain:

_"Come on now, Sakura, just give him the chocolates," her friend Naoko, a girl with short hair and glasses, was saying._

_"Oh, but Naoko, he doesn't like me, he likes…"she had started to reply, when Naoko grabbed her hand and threw her towards an oncoming Eriol._

_"You never know until you try, Sakura," she called, smirking._

How long ago was that? Odd, it seemed like decades. Sakura tried to recall who Eriol had liked. She had had short hair, but not like Naoko's, right? What was her name? Something with a T or a D maybe? Sakura gave up and turned to the still-blushing Chiharu.

"You never know until you try, Chiharu," she said, patting her on the shoulder.

Chiharu looked up, her blush fading, replaced by a look of determination. She nodded. Sakura smiled and walked off.

_Best to leave Chiharu to her thoughts, _she decided.

Strange, though, Sakura was suddenly remembering all sorts of things she had not thought about for a long time. How she came by the book and the cards. The little plush toy guardian she called Kero, a strange angel called Yue who shared a body with her teacher. And…Eriol.

Instead of heading to the library, as was her usual (she read from the diaries every Monday, when the library was closed to visitors from the public), Sakura went up to her room. After sifting through drawers filled with half-eaten cookies and love letters from Syaoran, Sakura finally found the photo of Eriol she had taken out of the Sakura book. She stared at it, marveling at how she had once loved this person. The drawer smelled strongly of dust, and another memory came to mind:

_Sakura, twelve years old and incredibly bored, stalked down the isles of the public library. It was an old place, a little dingy near the back where nobody bothered to clean. She ran her fingers along the spines of the musty books, absently reading the titles to herself._

_"So You Want to Fly an Airplane…Stories of King Arthur…Wait, this one doesn't have a title," she said aloud, stopping at a red and gold book._

_Curious, Sakura took the book off the shelf. Clow, it said, on the front. Inside, instead of pages, there were odd tarot cards in a stack. She was about to touch one, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She started, still clutching the book and holding it to her chest._

_"Oh, h-hello…"Sakura said, giving the intruder a fake smile._

_It was the strange librarian. She looked at the book in Sakura's hands and frowned. Her face was so wrinkled that her eyes seemed to disappear whenever she showed an expression. Sakura was sure that she was at least a hundred years old._

_"I don't remember seeing that book," the lady said._

_She reached for the book, but, before she could touch it, it started to glow a menacing red. Sakura blanked out as a strange seal opened up beneath her. A voice…With an Osaka accent? Spoke out:_

_"Call out the name…"_

_The first card on the deck, the Windy, was rising up in front of her face. Sakura obeyed and repeated after the voice:_

_"Windy! Scatter the cards, lest they fall into the wrong hands!"_

_The words were out of her mouth before she even thought to say them. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and a huge gust of wind. Sakura shut her eyes from the horrible gale._

_Then the gale stopped. Sakura suddenly realized she had been floating. She then hit the ground._

_"Ow," she cried out._

_Rubbing her backside, Sakura noticed that the librarian had gone. She looked around the floor, feeling too tired to get up. There, in front of her, lay the book, open but empty. The Windy card floated down and landed in her hand._

_"Finally," the Osakan voice said._

_Sakura shrieked. A yellow teddy bear with wings was crawling out of the book!_

_"Kerberos.__ Guardian of the Clow cards. At your service."_

And the rest was history. Now, even more memories came flooding back. Meeting her rival, Eriol, the direct descendant of Clow himself. He was very friendly, and, before she knew it…Sakura blushed a little as she looked at the engagement ring on her finger. How long had it been since she last thought of him?

Setting the photo down, Sakura silently and solemnly promised, that no matter how perfect Atlantis was, she would not forget the surface. _Then _ she headed to the library.

* * *

Sakura had been dead for almost two years now. But it was alright. Everything was alright. Because Eriol had Tomoyo, whom he loved more every day. Together they were walking to the ceremonial grave that they had set up for her after the accident. Tomoyo held the bouquet of sunflowers carefully to her chest, and turned to smile at Eriol, who had his arm around her.

Eriol smiled back. He had never smiled like that in the few months after Sakura died. But now he smiled all the time. He was in love again.

The couple arrived at the grave in silence. Tomoyo knelt down and replaced the flowers while Eriol said a small prayer. They then stood in silence, looking at the grave.

_Well Sakura, I hope you're not mad up there in Heaven,_ Eriol thought, _But__ this sort of just happened this way. I still love you and think of you often, even though I am with Tomoyo now. Please continue to rest peacefully._

Tomoyo's thoughts went something like this:

_I'm sorry Sakura, but I know that we both would want Eriol to be happy. I only regret that I must hide my past from him. But I promise you, woman to woman, that I will tell him someday. Maybe someday soon…_

* * *

"At last. The final one," Sakura said to herself.

Although she knew how to speak and read and write Atlantician perfectly well (thanks to private tutoring sessions provided by Yelan), Sakura had not read much aside from the strange diaries. Now, at long last, the final book, the black one, was all that remained. She reached for it when someone jumped out from behind her.

"Boo!" the intruder shouted.

Sakura fell off the pouf she had been sitting on with a shrill squeal. She got up and glared as she heard the familiar laughter.

"I _so_ got you!" Syaoran teased, laughing so hard that he was clutching his stomach.

"Jeez, Syaoran, you're terrible!" Sakura yelled, whacking him in the head with one hand.

She pouted and turned away from him, hiding her smile. Syaoran stopped laughing.

"Oh, Sakura, I'm sorry, did I really scare you that bad?" he asked contritely.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind. Smirking, Sakura turned around. She pulled her cheeks down and her eyes to the side, her tongue waggling.

"Boo!" she yelled.

Syaoran was so startled that he gave a yelp and fell backwards onto the floor. Seizing the opportunity, Sakura pounced, and pinned him to the ground.

"Got you back!" she teased.

Laughing, Sakura let herself drop, lying on Syaoran's chest, safe and warm. The book remained on the shelf, forgotten. Sakura looked at her ring finger. She couldn't take the engagement ring off. Correction, she wouldn't. She had sworn to always remember the love she and Eriol had for each other, even though she now loved Syaoran.

She sighed happily.

DM: Alright, so I think that's enough fluff. Next chapter the plot will really get moving (towards disaster), so get ready! Please review! Next chapter: Black Book.

Note: I am accepting beta-requests right now, so if you have a story you want me to help you edit please just PM me! Thanks so much!


	10. Black Book

DM: Hey there, sorry that it's been a while. Thanks so much for your reviews, you people rock! Here is where things get serious and the blanks start getting filled in. Hopefully this will blow your mind at least a little bit.

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS.

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Nine**

**Black Book**

_Last night was the Senior Prom. It was my last chance to tell him how I really felt. Not one of my lame-ass confessions that we would both just pretend were jokes, a real, serious confession. He went with he as his date, of courser. Not me. He would _never_ go with _me_. But that is alright because he is here with me now. And he will be with me forever._

_It all started out fine, and even I was having a little fun with my friends (if you could call them that). I kept my eyes on the two of them as they danced a little, talked a little, drank a little spiked punch...Nothing special. A few boys asked me to dance, but my heart was set. I could love no other._

_"Now is your chance, my child…"the voice rang in my ears, louder than the dance music and the chatting teenagers. I held myself steady and set my shoulders._

_I hate being schizophrenic. But that is alright, because he is with me now. And he will be with me forever. She said that now was my chance to take him to the land of dreams, to take him to my land of happiness._

_I looked for him everywhere, imbued with a new resolve, but to no avail. I noticed that she was missing too. I stepped outside, a cold panic gripping my heart. The prom was in a huge warehouse by the docks. I saw them standing together on a small pier. He was getting down on one knee. I had to stop him. I had to bring him with me to the land of dreams._

_Without thinking, I called out his name, but I was too late. He put the ring on her finger. _Then_ he looked up. _Then_ I mattered. I only mattered _after_ he proposed. Crying, I ran down the road to a dock farther away, where I could leave this wretched earth. But, just as I got to the edge, she came and stopped me._

_Pulling out my lucky knife (which I had once used to try and slit my wrists) out of my garter, I made a blind stab at her chest. It felt good to get her. For all the times my heart was shattered._

_She fell back away from me, blood blossoming from between her breasts. Angry, he held her limp form and stared at me, still in shock. But, before he could yell at me and call me a murderer, the voice in my head screamed._

_"Now!"_

_I had no idea what was happening. I saw chains, but then…Then I was here. All my possessions were here. He was here, too. And what's more, he seemed to have forgotten that I killed the girl he loved. He loved me. It had worked. I was in the land of dreams. Looking up at the "sky", I saw a school of fish swim by. I will call this place, Atlantis, like in all of those silly stories._

"No way," Sakura whispered to herself.

Amazed, She skimmed through the next few entries. They described Atlantis, and how the girl thought up new people to populate it and made her very own language. A few pages down she began to write about an intruder magician. Sakura's palms grew sweaty as she turned the pages furiously.

The book ended after "_I will not let her steal him from me._" There were still a bunch of blank pages to spare afterwards, indicating that it was a very recent diary. Sakura wondered who it could belong to, shaking with a mixture of fear and amazement.

_Well, whoever it is, they're still writing in it, _she thought,_ if I keep a close enough watch, maybe…_

There was nothing else she could do. Hiding behind a nearby bookshelf, Sakura watched and waited.

* * *

Tonight was the night. They were going to Chez Gerard, and, unbeknownst to Tomoyo, he was going to propose. He opened the box one more time, and, as he had been doing all day, fingered the ring inside. He hoped she liked it. It was a delicate blossom of amethyst surrounded by little diamonds on a silver band. It was _very_ different from the one he had given Sakura. He had made sure of that. Sakura's had been a gold band covered in pink diamonds. But tears no longer came to his eyes as he thought of her, now dead for several years. Thank goodness.

Eriol heard footsteps approaching from the hallway. Lost in thought about how exactly he was going to phrase his proposal, Eriol simply sank down into an armchair facing away from the door. Perhaps whoever it was would go away quite soon and leave him to his own little fantasies without much fuss.

But, lo and behold, it was none other than Tomoyo, wearing her summer uniform the top buttons unbuttoned because of the heat and humidity common in England at this time of year. She had insisted on keeping her job as his maid despite his entreaties. He hoped she would quit after they were married. Peeking over the top of his chair, Eriol noted the scar on her chest. Every time he brought it up, she changed the subject. Still clutching the ring box, Eriol stood up, slightly startling his angel.

"Oh…I thought this room was empty…" she apologized, blushing a little bit as she noted the direction of his gaze.

"Quite alright," he assured her.

Eriol walked casually up to her as she sank down into an armchair, making it very obvious as to what he was carrying. Tomoyo's eyes widened a little, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Now, my dear Tomoyo, I have a present for you," he began, smiling at her/

Tomoyo had started to smile, but as Eriol continued, the smile faded and her brow furrowed with worry at his ultimatum:

"But I will only give it to you if you tell me what that scar is from."

He pointed with the ring box at the scar on her chest. Tomoyo covered it with her hand and took a deep breath.

"But, Eriol, I-" she protested.

Eriol got down on one knee and took her hands in his own. His eyes were pleading.

"Tomoyo, I cannot give you this present if you do not trust me," he interrupted, his voice firm.

Tomoyo sighed.

"Please, Tomoyo," he begged. She had turned away from him.

Silence. More silence. Eriol felt suffocated by her silence. Then, with another deep breath, Tomoyo finally caved in.

"Eriol, could you fetch me your senior yearbook?" she asked softly, keeping her eyes on the floor. She pushed up her glasses to rub a stress headache that was now forming on her brow.

Eriol looked throughout his study and finally found it. It was a black leather-bound book from the prestigious private academy he and Sakura had attended together. He remembered being shocked that an orphan such as her had managed the tuition, but she had always had some money left from her unknown parents.

He brought it back to Tomoyo, who looked close to tears. She began flipping absently through it as he watched, sinking slowly to his knees/

"There's you," she said, pointing at Eriol's dorky picture. One could see he was handsome already, albeit a bit awkward.

More page flipping.

"There's Sakura," she indicated again. She had been so cute. Eriol had no idea where this was leading.

She continued to flip through it, finally stopping on a seemingly random page.

"Now. Who is that?" she asked.

Eriol peered curiously at a picture of a girl with short, dark hair and bright, happy eyes. The name, Tomoyo Daidouji. Eriol remembered having a crush on her. But…she was here all along?

"That's…you?" he asked, confused. The Tomoyo he knew now had long hair and glasses. The happiness was coming back, though, or at least it had been until he brought this whole thing up.

A tear leaking out, Tomoyo nodded weakly. Then she turned a few pages forward and pointed to a picture of a boy that took up an entire page. "Lest We Forget" was written across the top. Eriol recognized him as one of the two who had died his senior year.

"That was my boyfriend…" she choked out. Tears were falling freely now.

She turned the page to the other "Lest We Forget" tribute, a girl with black pigtails who Eriol also knew from the incident. The two dead students had the same last name.

"And that was his jealous cousin…" she continued.

Tomoyo closed her eyes, trying to compose herself and failing. Eriol waited patiently for her to continue.

"And on the night of the senior prom………Surely you remember? He proposed to me…and…" Tomoyo broke off, sobbing. Eriol remembered. It had been on the news.

"And…she was going to jump off the docks…But when I tried to stop her…" she stopped again.

She placed a hand on her chest. She had broken down completely now.

"And now they're gone…lost to the sea…like Sakura…" she managed to gasp out before falling back into tears. She hadn't spoken about it in so long…who knew it could still affect her this way?

"Tomoyo…" Eriol whispered, stroking her head.

Eriol would have said something comforting, but they were interrupted by a servant stepping into the room.

"Sir…Phone for you…" he said timidly.

The man had plainly realized he had interrupted something rather important, and nervously side-stepped out of the room. Eriol picked up the phone. The caller ID said "Search Party". It was the search party he had never called off. Had they found something after all this time? Tomoyo's tears slowed to a halt.

"Hello?" he asked tentatively.

The answer that came shocked Eriol to the bone. They had found something, alright…

* * *

Sakura was beginning to get a little drowsy. Not to mention hungry. She had missed both lunch and dinner waiting behind the bookshelf. She leafed through a few of the other books, but they weren't very interesting. And reading Atlantician strained her eyes. She thought about the diary continuously. There was something faintly familiar about that first entry. Sakura felt as though she had heard a similar story before.

_The play! _She realized suddenly.

Yes, this was the story in the play, some minor differences. But Sakura was certain she had heard it somewhere else, too. On the news? Sakura could not quite remember. It felt, like most of her memories of her surface days, like it had happened ages ago, in another life.

She wondered what Syaoran was up to. She hadn't seen him since breakfast. Sakura felt a little twinge of guilt at the thought of him looking for her.

Lost in thought, Sakura almost screamed when she heard footsteps in the library. It was almost midnight, and there were only a few candles to light the room. She saw a figure approach the corner with the diaries in it. Was this the person she had been waiting for? Her breathing quickened. The figure pulled a quill pen out of its pocket and moved into the light of a candle so it could write. It removed the black book from its place on the shelf. Sakura's eyes widened as she realized who it was.

_Meiling!_

DM: Well, that's it for now…Hope you liked it and I hope that it intrigued you. Turns out that our heroes' lives were more intertwined than we thought! Please, please, _please_ review! I would love to hear everyone's reaction to this (since I know a lot of you thought the diaries were Tomoyo's). Anyway, next chapter, things may get a little weird as more secrets are revealed. Next Chapter: Truth, Part One


	11. The Truth, Part One

DM: Hey all! Sorry for the long wait…life was happening. Thanks for your reviews!

Disclaimer: I own the plot. That's about it.

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Ten**

**The Truth, Part One**

Tomoyo gasped aloud as a school of brightly colored fish swept past the submarine window. She pressed her nose against the cool glass in an attempt to get a better look, but recoiled immediately as a large puffer fish blew up right in front of her. She looked towards the crew. The man on the phone, one of the rescue crew members, said that they had found a city down here she couldn't imagine it—everything was so wild and free.

"Wow…" she whispered as a sea turtle pulled up close to the submarine, apparently unafraid. Eriol held her hand and watch with her. If not for the nature of this expedition, it would have been beautifully romantic.

After passing over a reef of brightly colored coral and anemones, the submarine came out into almost completely open water. There was no coral, or any plants, and definitely no fish to be seen. Instead, a dark, damp looking castle-like rock formation came into view. It reeked intangibly of torment and despair. Fish that had to swim past it gave it a birth of several meters, though Eriol could swear he saw something move inside. He would have told the sub to stop and go in for a look, but he had bigger fish to fry.

As the castle disappeared from view, Tomoyo let out breath she did not realize she had been holding. It was as if the ocean was brighter the farther away you got. Happiness was slowly flooding back into her.

"Tomoyo…" Eriol whispered, tugging lightly on her arm.

"Hn?" she turned to see that he was getting down on one knee. He was slowly pulling something out of his pocket…Tomoyo held her breath, not daring to hope…

"Look! There it is!" a crew member shouted. Eriol stood up quickly and Tomoyo let out her breath through her nose as an irritated sigh.

A crew member was pointing frantically out of the glass wall of the submarine, motioning to Eriol to come over, and hopping lightly from foot to foot. In the distance was a large dome with a palace inside. Behind that, an even larger dome, with many colorful buildings inside. It gave off a bright, warm light.

_Atlantis…? _Tomoyo thought. She rushed to the glass window and leaned against it excitedly, like a little girl looking at toys through the shop window three days before Christmas. Her breath caught in her throat. _Is this really Atlantis?_

Eriol followed her gaze, and as they came closer he realized that he could definitely sense Sakura's magical aura from within the first dome. His heart skipped a beat as he realized that, after all this time, she was alive.

He adjusted his glass in an effort to calm himself, peering interestedly at the said Atlantis. Voicing the thoughts of every ambitious crewmember, he said, surprisingly calmly,

"If that is indeed Atlantis, my friends, then we are to go down in history for finding it."

* * *

_I'm late__…Again…_Sakura thought to herself. Groaning inwardly, she rushed down the hallway to the Leahj, late for breakfast, as was becoming more and more her usual lately. She had stayed up all night thinking about Meiling and the diaries again. The other night she had spent with Syaoran, and the night before that, back in the library…

"Sakura!" a female voice rang out as she dashed towards those last steps.

Startled, Sakura stopped running for a moment to find a crying Chiharu sitting on a window ledge just before the steps to the Leahj. At first she felt a pang of worry, but then she noticed that her friend was smiling underneath her tears. Taking one look at her hand, Sakura smiled, too.

"Congratulations!" she half-whispered, half-shouted.

The girls happily embraced. Suddenly, they were interrupted as Yelan's voice, magically magnified to float throughout the castle as if on a loudspeaker (that was one of Sakura's new tricks with the Voice card), came pouring down on them.

"All servants shall report to their emergency locations immediately," she said curtly, "We have approaching emse. This is not a drill. Code Silver." Her voice was extremely tense.

And then, as an afterthought, she answered Sakura's unvoiced question:

"Syaoran, Meiling, and Sakura, should report to the throne room."

Bidding each other a worried goodbye, the girls parted to go to their assigned places. Wondering who could have possibly found Atlantis, Sakura hurried down the hallway in the opposite direction. Suddenly she felt an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach that was much more than hunger as she thought that it might be Eriol searching for her. Would the tranquility of her new life be shattered? Would she be taken back to the surface? Would she have to gaze into the accusing eyes of Eriol, and tell him she loved another? And what about Tomoyo, who had since been replaced by Chiharu? These questions and more buzzing around her brain, she finally arrived in the throne room.

"Good. You're all here," Yelan said as she saw Sakura dash in through the door.

Skidding to a halt, Sakura noticed that Yelan looked strange. It was as if she was looking at her through a steamed up window, and all her usually sharp contours were blurred. At random times, her image, along with the rest of the castle, would flicker and Sakura would see water, like that time in the bedroom. Syaoran and Meiling, however, looked as solid as ever.

"I am sorry to say that Atlantis will be discovered soon. Do any of you have any ideas how to remedy the situation?" Yelan asked them, surprisingly calm, as if she had known for a long time that this would happen.

Syaoran spoke up boldly. He looked strangely fierce, as though he, although it could not be said that he enjoyed living here, wanted to protect Atlantis. Sakura blushed as she watched his mouth move. She had never found him so masculine before.

"The way I see it, we have two options," he was saying, "One, we could sink them, and let them be forgotten. Or, we could invite them and treat them kindly, and hope they do not speak word of us to their emse brethren." He crossed his arms at the end of his speech and looked his mother in the eye.

While Yelan was thinking how to reply, Sakura noticed that something was strangely amiss with Meiling. Normally she would have been viciously agreeing with Syaoran, but she was unusually quiet. She looked pale and withdrawn, and was twitching her hands nervously and rocking back and forth. Slowly, from her toes to her heels to her toes again. Each time she went back on her heels, the entire city flickered.

"I think we should go with option two," Yelan said shrewdly, "We are a peaceful race and I don't like the idea of killing."

Sakura thought back to the diaries. She had kept herself from speaking of them with Meiling, or even Syaoran, for that matter. But now…Sakura's eyes widened as she fully realized the extent of the manipulative power Meiling had over Atlantis and everyone in it.

All the people on Atlantis were just made up by her to complete her dream world, with the exception of Sakura and Meiling herself. She had added in people older and younger than herself to make it really seem like a city, and had let them all be entwined in her web. The play had been based upon her own life-changing experience. Her experience in Atlantis was all a lie. Was Syaoran a lie, too? Sakura wondered if he was real. He certainly _looked_ and _felt_ real…

"Let them in," Yelan said finally. Meiling clutched her hands together.

Yelan motioned to the guards at the door and they hopped on jiinks and sped away from the Dome, towards the submarine. There was a very pregnant pause as the city stopped flickering (Meiling had slumped down into a pouf from sheer exhaustion) and everyone in the room anxiously awaited the arrival of the emse. They all watched through the glass as the submarine was led through the gates to the Dome's garage. It reminded Sakura strangely about how Syaoran had brought her hear.

"Your highness…" the guards at the door bowed to her/

The awful clanging of the doors' opening was followed by three gasps. Eriol's. Tomoyo's, and Sakura's.

"Sakura!" The two yelled.

"Eriol! Tomoyo!" She called back.

She would have rushed to embrace them, but a tugging feeling at her heart stopped her. They too remained rooted to the spot. How could she hug them? She had to confess, she resolved, forgetting momentarily that Meiling was even there.

"Eriol, I-" she began.

Eriol cut her off: "Before you can say anything, Sakura you must know. I-I no longer love you…" he said, taking Tomoyo's hand and holding it tightly. Sakura's face broke into a grin. Eriol must have failed to notice, because he continued on as if he had crushed her heart.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, but we had mourned you as one dead. And now Tomoyo and I-"

Now it was Sakura's turn to cut him off. Smiling happily at the prospect of her best friend marrying Eriol, Sakura grabbed Syaoran's hand, still totally oblivious to the presence of anyone else in the room..

"Eriol, I too have a new love." she said strongly.

She and Syaoran kissed passionately. Tomoyo and Eriol followed suit. Now, at last, they would all be happy and free of that guilt that had plagued them the past couple of years. Perhaps she could entreat them to stay here, and live forever at peace with her…

"NO!" Meiling shrieked.

The couples broke free, and turned to stare at Meiling, who had jumped from her pouf.

"No! Syaoran is mine, and no one can take him away!" she cried obstinately.

She broke into a wild sobbing. All around her the castle started to collapse and dissolve into water. Yelan and the guards were gone. Syaoran and Meiling were gone too. As the room disappeared they all began to be surrounded by chains. Sakura followed their paths to their point of convergence. At the heart of the tangle mess were two bodies which she could recognize clearly as Syaoran and Meiling. The castle and the city completely gave way, and it was just the emse, the chains, and the bodies drifting under water. Sakura quickly summoned Windy to keep them all alive. The crew of the submarine had fainted from shock, and Tomoyo and Eriol were clutching each other, terrified.

Calling the Sword card, Sakura hacked away at the chains, breaking both Syaoran and Meiling free. Using the Float in tandem with Windy, she managed to keep everyone within her bubble of air. Aside from the floating chains, nothing whatsoever was left in Atlantis. No Touya, no Yuki, no Nakuru, no Chiharu. Sakura felt tears welling up in her eyes. They had all been a part of Meiling's game of pretend. She followed the path of the free ends of the chains. They led off into dark water. She followed, using glow to keep the chains illuminated as they floated on.

A castle came to view in the distance, and Sakura headed there, strangely drawn, with the unconscious people in tow.

DM: So there is Chapter 10. Hope you all enjoyed it. Next chapter, you'll learn even more about the creation of Atlantis and the other pieces will fall into place. I hope this answered some of your questions but also that it created some new ones. Please review! Next Chapter: The Truth, Part Two


	12. The Truth, Part Two

DM: Hey again! As promised, here is the next installment! Thanks so much for your reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS.

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Eleven**

**The Truth, Part Two**

_Yes….Come closer….closer still…._Sakura heard amidst the silence of the deep sea.

She blinked and shook her head to clear it of the strange voice, desperate to keep moving forward. They were closer to the dark, sinister shape now, and hopefully she could rest there until she could us Windy again. Her heart plunged into her stomach as she recalld all her previous failed attempts to reach the surface, and she looked again at the rocks ahead of her. She could feel a strange aura coming from them; it wasn't necessarily one of evil, but perhaps one of sorrow.

"Unh….What happened?" a voice groaned behind her.

Tomoyo rubbed her head as she sat up and yawned. She looked around the bubble they were floating in and gasped.

"Sakura! What's going on?" she asked. Sakura remembered that only Eriol knew of her magic powers.

Sakura sighed and looked back again at the sinister shape. If you squinted a bit, it looked like a castle. The aura was mesmerizing, and Sakura noticed for the first time that instead of floating straight towards it, the bubble was spiraling in.

"I don't know, Tomoyo," she replied finally, "After Meiling screamed, Atlantis disappeared, and then we were here." She hoped that Tomoyo wouldn't find anything suspicious about this story.

Tomoyo smiled and stood up, a trifle unsteady. She went over to a wall and patted it.

"Hello, Windy…" she said, feeling a warm pulse from the Card.

Sakura gasped a little. Tomoyo had not known about the cards when they were on the cruise, nor had she ever asked her about them. Tomoyo's smile grew wider as she answered Sakura's unvoiced question.

"You really think you could keep a secret like this from me?" she asked, "I've seen you and Eriol training…How long ago was it? I cannot seem to remember…" she trailed off.

Sighing, Tomoyo looked at Syaoran, who was still wrapped in chains and lying unconscious. He was wearing a tuxedo, but the clothes looked a bit too small, as if he had grown in them. Sakura saw recognition flicker in Tomoyo's eyes as she placed a hand on her chest.

"It was you," Sakura said softly, trying to keep accusation out of her voice and failing.

"Hn?" Tomoyo asked, feigning ignorance despite knowing where the conversation was going.

"It was you that Meiling was jealous of," Sakura croaked out, trying not to show the strange anger that was blossoming in her heart.

Tomoyo smiled, but it was a sad smile. She took a deep breath and nodded. After that, neither of them talked. Each, in her own way, had solved the mystery of Atlantis. Or so they thought. The truth was much bigger than any love triangle.

"Hn…" a male voice moaned.

Syaoran was waking. Pulling the chains off as you would your bed covers, he sat up and shook his head.

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried.

It was she, not Tomoyo who rushed to his side. He stared at her strangely, as if he had never seen her before. Sakura felt a pang in her heart, realizing suddenly what had happened.

"Who are you?" he asked haughtily, "Where am I?"

Glancing around, Syaoran smiled brightly as he saw Tomoyo.

"Tomoyo!" he cried, "Tomoyo, my dearest! You're alive! She didn't kill you after all!"

Shaking himself free of Sakura's grip, he sprang to his feet and took Tomoyo's hand. Sakura remained on the floor, tears welling up in her eyes. Tomoyo looked slightly taken aback.

_He doesn't remember me… _she thought sadly.

She looked up. Syaoran tried to kiss Tomoyo, but she shrank from him. Her previous anger was melting away. It wasn't Tomoyo's fault that things were like this.

_He loves only Tomoyo, now… _

For the first time, she looked upon Meiling's sleeping form with true contempt. It was all her fault. All her fault!

"If she hadn't created all this, I'd still be on the surface! I'd be Mrs. Eriol Hiiragizawa!" she whispered to herself.

Then her expression softened.

_That's not true. If she hadn't created Atlantis, I'd have drowned._ She thought.

And, now that she truly knew how Meiling had felt, she felt a kind of understanding grow between them (although Meiling wasn't conscious). She knew now how trapped, how frustrated, how sad she must have been.

"Ugh…" another groan.

Meiling stirred in her sleep, as if the reuniting of Syaoran and Tomoyo had disturbed her. She was wearing a long red dress that was distinctly prom-ish, and, like Syaoran had been, was covered in chains. Her sleeping face went from peaceful to upset, but she did not wake up.

"What? I don't believe it!" Syaoran shouted, oblivious of the sleeping people around him.

Apparently Tomoyo had explained what happened. Sakura could understand why he couldn't believe it—let's face it, the idea of your cousin creating a mystical Utopia underwater and trapping you in it for five years is too far-fetched. But Sakura had found now that far-fetched things are often true.

"If anyone had said it but you, my dearest Tomoyo, I think I would send them to a mental institution!" Syaoran exclaimed once he saw how serious her face was (she did look older, as well), "So, what have you been doing, these past five years? As a matter of fact, what have I been doing?" he looked down and noted with dismay the state of his tux.

Tomoyo looked down. Sakura could understand why. How do you tell someone who was faithfully in love with you even after he thought you were dead that you loved another? Sakura had been struck with this as well, but Eriol and Tomoyo had solved the problem on their own.

"As for what _you_ have been doing, you can ask Sakura," she pointed at her, and then at herself, "But me, I—"

Syaoran suddenly looked sad. He was no fool. He looked at Eriol, who was the closest of the unconscious people nearby and asked, in a pessimistic tone,

"Is that him? Has he proposed yet? Or are you already married?"

Tomoyo didn't say anything. She just stared at Eriol's sleeping face, and a tear slid down her cheek. Syaoran sighed then turned to Sakura. She felt her heart skip a beat. He looked so lost, so helpless…She just wanted to take him in her arms and hold him there.

"What's your name?" he asked gruffly.

Sakura could only mumble a response as Syaoran sat down on the "floor" next to her. He took her hand, and, after a deep, long breath voiced the question that was already quite apparent on his face.

"What has happened to me?" he asked, his eyes pleading for an answer.

In front of his questioning amber eyes, Sakura tried her best not to cry for him. Still, a stray tear rolled down her cheek, splashed into Windy's bubble, and was lost. She said only what she had perceived so far.

"The night that you and Meiling fell, you were taken to a place called Atlantis, Meiling's Utopia. I don't know how long you lived there, but after I came—" dhe broke off with a stifled sob, another tear falling into Windy's sheltering bubble.

Before she could collect herself and continue, a strange, timid voice spoke out. It was very soft, but in the awkward silence it could be heard quite easily.

"I tried to keep you to myself," it said, "Ah, I was selfish, but Sakura is much more deserving of you than I. That is why you fell in love with her, despite the charade of my Utopia."

Everyone in the bubble knew who it was that spoke, but no one looked at her. Tomoyo knelt beside Eriol and brushed a few stray strands out of his face, tears streaming down her face silently. It was strange that he hadn't woken up yet, seeing as he was a magician like Sakura.

Sakura looked at her hands as they fidgeted in her lap. Syaoran looked at Sakura. She knew what he was thinking.

It must feel strange to look on the face of your said lover and not remember her.

Eriol had begun to stir, and it was then that Sakura realized that they were nearly at the castle-shaped rocks. She sighed; Tomoyo would explain everything to Eriol. She did not feeling like talking. Or smiling, for that matter.

* * *

Their footsteps echoed throughout the empty hallways, their bodies casting eerie shadows on the dank walls. The Fiery card (she thought it best to lead with an offensive card) led the way, followed by Tomoyo and Eriol. Sakura and Syaoran were behind them, avoiding eye contact, Meiling bringing up the rear. They had left the crew asleep at the entrance with the Fight card to protect them. There was air inside the place, which was now confirmed to be a sunken castle.

Meiling's hands were fidgeting nervously, and she kept her eyes on the ground. Sakura was strongly reminded of an animal caught in a snare. Every time someone looked at her, she would start, as if afraid of having her throat cut like a rabbit's.

"It's so depressing here…" Tomoyo said softly.

She had voiced the thought that was drifting through everyone's minds. Syaoran heaved a sigh, his breath coming up as steam in the chill of the castle. He strode astray from the group and put his hand on the wall.

"I can't help but think that I have been here before," he said, "I—"

Suddenly, Syaoran was not there anymore. In fact, neither was the wall. They all gasped at the huge room now open to them. Fiery jumped inside first, and the rest cautiously followed. The feeling of despair was stronger now, and the air in the room was so heavy and dank you could cut it with a knife.

"Ow," he said, now sitting on the floor.

Syaoran jumped to his feet and dusted his pants off nervously. He glanced about the room and took Sakura by the hand. Unexpectedly, she blushed. It seemed to her that he could not be her lover, this slightly clumsy man who was still a child.

He turned and looked her in the eyes and she saw that same determination she had fallen in love with. The touch of his hand was gentle yet firm, like she remembered. His facial expression was passive, but the twitch of his mouth revealed his nervousness to her the same way it used to. She squeezed his hand, deciding that no matter what, she still loved him.

The chamber they were in was large and empty, and it smelled like socks on a rainy day after splashing about in the puddles. There was a pale blue light coming from further in the room, though they could not pinpoint its source. The dankness of the air was too much for Fiery, who reverted back to card form. Now they had no choice but to come closer to the light.

"So, you have come…" a deep voice said.

A little girl, maybe eight or nine, sat alone on a cushion. A blue torch floated next to her. She had long blonde hair, done in two neat braids, and was wearing a white pinafore. Her face was in shadow. Meiling gasped with recognition and anger.

"You…" she growled.

Crying, she made an attempt to get at the girl, only to be blocked by some unknown force. Still blindly struggling, Meiling was sent careening backwards and onto the floor. There she stayed, her small figure wracked with sobs. The rest of the group stared in awe at the small girl.

"Now you will all know," she continued, in her strangely deep voice, "And will share my suffering…"

DM: Cliffhanger! Sort of…Anyway, I hope you liked it! Please review and let me know what you think! Everything's going to come out in the next few chapters, so please stay tuned. Oh, and also, I have a new poll on my profile page! Please go check it out—it will really help me a lot if you do. Next Chapter: Despair


	13. Despair

DM: I'm back with another chapter for you!  Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS.

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Twelve**

**Despair**

_Nobody loved me..._ a voice whispered in Sakura's ears.  She shook her head to clear it, but to no avail.  Syaoran and Eriol looked at her strangely.

_I was the worthless girl..._it continued, a little bit louder now.  Sakura turned and made eye contact with Meiling.  They were the only ones who could hear it.  The girl in front of them smiled a cruel smile.

_The girl who was stuck in the orphanage, who no one ever asked about..._a small sob shook Sakura's frame.  Tomoyo, Eriol and Syaoran seemed to have noticed that something was wrong.

"Why isn't she talking anymore?" Syaoran asked nervously.  Tomoyo moved closer to Eriol.  The girl leaned forward in her chair.

_The girl with no family..._she said, so loudly that Sakura felt like she was going to collapse. The little girl's voice rang through her head, stricken with sobs.

Her heart grew heavy as she was strangely reminded of how Syaoran had forgotten her and how Eriol had moved on.  She was alone now, she realized.  Sakura could _feel_ the girl's sorrow, as if she, too, was worthless. She tried to cover her ears, not caring about the strange looks the others were giving her, but it was no use. The little girl was inside her. Sakura sank down into the kneeling position and prayed that she wouldn't pass out.  Behind her she heard Meiling growl in pain.

_I thought he loved me..._she resumed, her voice soft again.  Sakura could now see through her tightly shut eyes, the images burning into her brain. There was a man who looked to be in his late forties.

_That I was his little girl...That he was the father I never had..._she had begun sobbing once more. Sakura could see as he led the girl in front of them inside a cottage; she skipped happily, her eyes shining. Sakura wanted to warn her, her heart paralyzed by fear. She saw the look in his eyes.

"No! No, it's a trap!" Sakura yelled, her voice echoing off the dank walls.  Meiling thrashed on the floor.  The other three had now backed away from the two girls, who were going through something they couldn't understand.

_No! No, it was a trap..._she continued in her mind, while the actual girl in front of her gave a short, cruel laugh.

Sakura heard the sobbing get louder and louder and soon she began to sob, too. She felt a pain like never before run through her body. She was being raped by the horrible old man—Meiling was screaming—and then the pain was gone.

_He made me promise not to tell anyone..._she said, now completely calm, _But__ I had no one to tell..._

_I felt so dirty..._

_Only the sea could wash away the filth he had left..._

They were at a pier now, overlooking the sea. Sakura ran along it, desperate, and felt herself jump. The exhilaration of falling was short lived as a loud thud brought her back to her senses. She sat up. The little girl was at her seat, perfectly still, not sobbing at all. In fact, she had the same crooked and cruel grin spread across her face.  Meiling was still lying on the ground, muttering incomprehensible curses in between her racked sobs. Everyone else was staring at her, mouths open.

"Sakura..." Tomoyo said softly.

Sakura stood up, still a little woozy. The little girl's smile grew wider and she spoke as if Sakura and Meiling's episodes had never happened.  She decided to ignore the still sobbing Meiling.

"No one had understood my powers. So I used them to live here," she said simply, gesturing to the castle, which was rather dank for a little girl's creation.

A chilling wind passed through the chamber. Everyone had been too busy being frightened by the depressed youngster to wonder how wind was coming in while they were under water, but now they realized they were definitely in a magical place.  Sakura glared at her and opened her mouth to speak, but Meiling beat her to it:

"And you should have kept them to yourself, not used them to make other people's lives just as miserable!"

Meiling, her rage back, stood up and glared at the little girl. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. The little girl looked nonchalantly at Meiling, her head resting in one hand, and said, in a rather bored tone,

"Please. You would have been just as miserable if I hadn't interfered. Besides, I gave you five years of peace with the one you love. Be grateful." Her eyes flashed dangerously.

Meiling made a move towards her, but the girl put out a hand and she was thrown to the floor once more, sliding across the smooth stone. Sakura and Syaoran took a few steps to run to her side, but the little girl made a motion to stop them, even going so far as to knock Syaoran over.

"She will be fine," she assured them, "Now, I suppose you must learn."

Sakura felt the same pain run through her again and fell to the floor, clutching her chest hopelessly—the girl was going to say something emotional now.  The little girl walked up to Sakura and looked down at her writing form on the floor. Sakura felt a few droplets spatter on her shoulder. Looking up despite the pain, Sakura was horrified to see that they were scarlet, bloody drops. The girl stared straight into Sakura's eyes, streaks of blood, not tears, rolling down her cheeks falling from her face.

"I wanted to help people," she insisted, "I—" she broke off into a sob.

She bent over and grabbed Sakura's sleeve, making her stomach lurch as the pain increased. The girl's magic was definitely very strong, maybe even stronger than her own.

"People who were sad," she cried, "Sad like me...I gave them _happiness_..."

Pleading, the little girl continued to tug at Sakura's sleeve. Sakura wanted desperately to run away, _far_ away, but something was keeping her from running. The pain had lessened, but she was still held to the floor, transfixed by the blood splashing around her.  Maybe it was the look in the little girl's eyes that induced the terror that gripped at her heart and froze her body. Or maybe it was just that she was too exhausted to go anywhere and running would be totally pointless.

"No! It was all an illusion! You give nobody happiness! It wasn't real!" a voice called out.

Meiling got her zeal back, and was standing straight up, her hands on her hips. She pointed an accusing finger at the little girl and continued to shout.

"You can't find happiness in a lie! You fooled me, you fooled everyone! You call that making us _happy_?"

The little girl continued to cry blood and stomped on the floor, looking for the first time like the child she was, throwing a temper tantrum. She glared at Meiling and started sobbing in earnest.

"But I tried to help you...You willingly believed it was real! I-I was just trying to be nice..." she maintained, her voice growing less commanding with each word.  Her power was almost exhausted.

She looked incredibly lost. In frustration she screamed, sending blow after blow through Sakura's body. With the power from just that scream the castle started to shift and disappear, like that one day in Atlantis...when she and Syaoran kissed for the first time and Meiling got upset…Water began dropping in from the ceiling.

"I was just trying to help—it's not fair! Nobody cared for me, nobody! Nobody appreciates me! I—"

She broke off into another scream. The walls ran with cracks. Blood seeped in-or was it water? Sakura's vision was blurring from the pain.  The little girl was inside her head again, sobbing.

_There are so many out there...So many sad people...Sad like me...I used my powers for them..._she babbled.  Sakura felt tears leak out of her eyes.  Each word was like a pounding in her brain.

_You're ruining it!_ _Go away!_ The girl shouted.

Sakura covered her ears again, the little voice in her head screaming frantically at her. She had to get out of there.

For Syaoran's sake. 

For Eriol's sake. 

For Tomoyo's sake. 

For Meiling's sake. 

For her own sake, even if she was alone!

Releasing all the tension and pain Sakura screamed aloud and summoned her magic.

"Release! Windy!" she cried out.

Wind swirled throughout the hallway, picking up the five of them and the still miraculously unconscious crew. Her mind blank, Sakura led them out of the castle, to the surface.

Sakura could hear the little girl's laughter as it faded away into sobs...then in a sweet voice, quite unlike the one she had used with them, she said, "Oh well, I still have _you_ to play with, my lovely creations."

A shockwave of emotional energy pushed Sakura and the others until they finally broke through the surface. Float carried them on to the rescue team's boat and Sakura shut her eyes and let sleep overtake her, ignoring the amazed looks from the boat crew.

DM: Well would you look at that, we're already at this point!  Please review, it makes me very happy.  The next couple of chapters will sort out some of the romantic drama going on.  S+S moments galore, I promise.  Next chapter: A Breath of Fresh Air


	14. A Breath of Fresh Air

DM: Hey all, I'm back! I'm sorry, this chap is up a day later than I said it would be! Don't hate me please! I know it's sad that Syaoran can't remember, but if anyone can bring him back, it's Sakura. Also, we haven't seen the last of that little girl, despite the impression the next couple of chapters might make.

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS.

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**A Breath of Fresh Air**

"Syaoran..."

Someone was calling his name...someone familiar...Syaoran opened his eyes slowly, wondering who it could be. He widened them a little as he found himself gazing into the terracotta depths of his cousin Meiling. She gasped a little and shrank back, leaning against the headboard of her hospital bed, gathering her paper-like hospital gown about her in a little ball. He was in a bed too, with the same blue-gray gown. Looking around the room, everything that had happened to him since he had seen Tomoyo again, unbelievable as it was, came flooding back.

_I wonder if it was all a dream..._he thought.

A rustling sound interrupted his musings. He turned and saw that Meiling had started fidgeting, rocking back and forth. It was a Li clan thing, rocking when you're nervous. Strangely, Syaoran did not feel too angry with Meiling, probably because the thought of seeing Tomoyo again lifted his heart.

He remembered how Meiling had been the victim. Tomoyo was alright, so why was Meiling worried? And that girl—the very pretty one with the auburn hair and the sparkling green eyes—seemed to know him. Meiling probably had no idea what was going on, he decided. That evil little girl, who said she'd had such horrible experiences, was living through Meiling. She sensed that Meiling was depressed, and, by being what she herself might have deemed nice, tried to make her happy. He was satisfied with this conclusion to the strange events, and was then swallowed by pity for both Meiling and the little girl.

_But it was just her, _he thought, _just the little girl living there. She took Meiling's mind away...so _she_ could be happy, not Meiling. It's _my_ fault Meiling got sucked into this...maybe if I was nicer to her..._

Meiling was still fidgeting. Syaoran started to fidget too. Back and forth, in almost the same sequence...

"I'm sorry," Meiling said suddenly.

Syaoran stopped fidgeting and looked at her, mildly surprised. _She_ was the victim here, wasn't she?

"What do you mean?" he asked, his surprise showing on his face.

Meiling rolled her eyes, and for a moment, he saw his best friend and cousin once again.

"I'm sorry for fooling you...controlling your mind, forcing you to live with me...and..."

She closed her eyes, and the familiar Meiling was gone. Taking a deep, shaking breath she said, as though it was a terrible sin,

"Sorry for making you forget who you love. Twice." As if this had taken all of her energy, she slumped back in the hospital bed, staring at him through narrowed eyes.

_Twice?_He wondered.

The girl on the other side of the room had begun to stir. Giving Meiling a forgiving smile, Syaoran started to walk over. Even slightly rumpled from sleep, the girl—Sakura—was beautiful. More beautiful even than Tomoyo...or was she...?

* * *

It was like being born again. Air, clean, wonderful air flooded through Sakura's lungs. It didn't have that strange scent to it—the scent of illusion. Only now did Sakura realize the difference. She slowly opened her eyes, glad to be home, on the surface. Surely nothing could have happened to her. No, she was safe...safe from Meiling, from Syaoran (who had unexpectedly broken her heart), from that little girl...they did not exist...

_It was all a dream, _she thought, _Now__ I'll be waking up next to Eriol. We should continue our plans for the wedding..._ She opened her eyes all the way and glanced around.

If it was all a dream, why was she in a hospital? Dismayed, she looked around the room and saw Eriol and Tomoyo, some of the submarine crew, and...

_No..._she thought, gasping.

She felt her heart sink as she saw Syaoran and Meiling, in their own beds, already awake and talking. Syaoran sensed Sakura's gaze, and, after giving Meiling a smile, got out of bed and walked to hers. He rocked back on his feet nervously, just like Meiling, before extending a shy hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Kinomoto," he said in a polite voice.

Sakura just stared at his hand with sorrow. She had loved him. And now he did not even remember his privilege of calling her by her name, let alone their time together. It must be Fate's doing.

_Way to go, Fate..._she thought angrily

Syaoran was starting to blush, and Sakura snapped out of her vengeful thoughts against poor little Fate and shook his hand warmly, getting a little of her cheerfulness back.

"Pleased to meet you, too," she said, "Please call me Sakura. May I call you Syaoran?"

Syaoran smiled and nodded, his ears turning a little pink, and Sakura felt a swooping sensation in her stomach, coupled with a rush of warmth. But now that he could not remember her...It would be a hopeless and unrequited love...Her heart sank again.

_Unless..._she thought hopefully…

Sakura smiled her 10,000 watt smile at him, and was pleased to see him blush. She felt a new burst of energy at her brilliant plan. She stopped herself before she dissolved in evil laughter and settled for a grin.

_I can make him fall in love with me again! _She thought triumphantly.

"What about that creepy little girl, eh?" he asked, seeming desperate to start a conversation, "Meiling I can forgive, but _that_..."

Syaoran shuddered. Sakura thought back to the little blonde girl...Sakura pitied her more than hated her...especially because she had (unwillingly) _felt_ the little girl's pain. And she seemed so young...But still, she _was_ very... off.

"Especially when she started crying blood..." Sakura said aloud.

At this Syaoran frowned. He looked at her uncertainly, as if he thought she might be a bit wrong in the head.

"Blood?" he asked, "I didn't see any blood..."

Sakura realized that she must have been the only one to see the girl's true self...why had she been affected like that? Was it because of her magic? What was that little girl, anyway? She seemed normal...but how could she enter people's minds like that? And Atlantis...her castle...did she make all of it?

_The power of illusion,_ she pondered, remembering a psychology class from college, _Humans only believe what they are told to believe...it was like she had the power to make them see and breath and live the way she wanted—but she was so sad, she was shunned. Left all alone, her only happiness betrayed her..._

_But she _is_ a kind person—why else would she try to make Meiling happy? She was just misunderstood..._Sakura concluded. This girl must have had magical power, yet she understood the psychology of people so well…So much better than many adults…She knew exactly how to manipulate people.

_ And now...now she will continue,_ she thought, her heart sinking into her stomach.

When Sakura would look back on these last few thoughts in the future, she would often wonder at their meaning:

_There will be a million like her. And so long as the world has sadness, there will be a million Atlantises. Because of the flaws in human nature..._

It was then that she realized that Syaoran was still looking at her uncertainly, and was waving a hand in front of her vacant looking face. She shook her head as if to clear it of her strange musings on the girl, and replied, quite cheerfully (after all, if he thought she was crazy, how was she supposed to win his love back?)

"Oh...it must have been an illusion..."

_An illusion...Mankind is so easily influenced by what they are told—even by what they see..._

A few beds down, Eriol was muttering something about beheading maids...

* * *

Eriol heard talking in the room. He'd have the head of the person that woke him up this early. Where was Sakura? This bed was surely too small to be his bed at home...

"I think he's starting to come around..." an unfamiliar voice spoke out of the sea of jumbled words.

Eriol, lying on his side, opened his eyes to see Tomoyo on the bed next to his. His breath caught very stubbornly in his throat. She looked positively angelic, even when she was a little blurry (someone must have taken his glasses), her long hair creating a fan on the bed, a few tendrils curling around her face...Eyes closed in sleep, breathing very slowly and softly through lightly parted pink lips…

"Are you alright, Mr. Hiiragizawa?" a nurse was asking, her face shoved up in front of his, She was older than him by a large amount, with lots of makeup caked on her face.

Eriol tore his eyes away from his love, being pulled back into the real world, the world of strange little girls, collapsing underwater cities, and nurses with curly red hair.

"I'm...I'm fine..." he replied, wishing he was alone with Tomoyo.

The nurse walked away, leaving Eriol to his confused thoughts. Sakura and Syaoran were talking, Syaoran blushing profusely, Sakura wearing that look that was too sneaky for comfort, with Meiling watching rather wistfully. What exactly had happened? Eriol was completely lost. All he knew was that the minute they got to the fabled "Atlantis" it collapsed. Then they were suddenly at a castle, with the little girl.

_She represented sorrow...all the pain in the world,_ he decided, concluding that she was a mystical being,_ But__ why did we meet her? The pain we had gone through, our relief that we had found Sakura after all...I didn't even know such a spirit existed...Sorrow…_He put his glasses on with a sad smile.

_I pity Sorrow..._he thought.

* * *

Tomoyo opened her eyes to see a woman with curly red hair walking out of the room. Eriol was in the bed next to hers, but his back was to her. She pushed a few stray strands of hair from her face and looked around. Syaoran was tomato-red, talking to Sakura, Meiling was watching, now smiling, now looking close to tears, and her own Eriol appeared lost in thought.

Falling back on to her bed with a light thud, Tomoyo stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to recap on all that had happened since the submarine crew had found the lost city. When they got there, they found Sakura alive, with a new love (who, interestingly, was Tomoyo's old love), and then they were knocked unconscious by an angry and jealous Meiling. Tomoyo heard most of what had happened to Sakura, but there was still the enigma of the little girl.

_What if...What if Meiling created her? What if all of it was just a vent for Meiling's feelings?_ She thought vengefully. She sighed.

_ No, I'm biased, I...I don't know anything about emotion; it all went numb when I lost Syaoran..._

But then she looked at Eriol and felt a smile rise to her lips. She had been numb, until she suddenly cared what Eriol thought of her...Until she cared for him...

_But all I know is that sadness and pain will destroy you if you keep it in...I met the little girl to be reminded of that..._she thought,

* * *

It was all over, Meiling decided. Everything would be alright. Syaoran had forgiven her, and it was almost as though it had never happened. He would never love her, and, she now knew, she would never have loved him back if he professed it. This whole time, it was just the idea of being in love, the idea of having someone like Syaoran, so strong, so wonderfully kind, by her side.

_And now I'm free of it, _she thought happily, _free of the sadness, free of keeping track of everything in Atlantis, free of lying, free of..._Everything_..._

Meiling had not realized how hard it had been, keeping the minds of the people of Atlantis in check. The stress probably helped crack her. But the feeling power she had sent those misgivings to the back of her mind. She thought about the blonde girl, Alice. Alice and her wonderland...

_Was she in over her head, or did she just like watching bad things happen to others?_ She wondered.

Meiling tore her eyes from the blushing Syaoran and glared at her hands bitterly, wringing the thin hospital sheets with them...how could Alice have taken advantage of her like that?

_"My name is Alice. And this is my wonderland. It can be yours, too, if you want..." _she remembered he voice, warm and gently, her hands stretching out to her every night as she cried in her room at Li Manor. Her face when Meiling finally jumped into the sea.

_The foul, evil, twisted lump of sorrow!_ Meiling dug her nails into her palms. _Were all the weak her pawns?_ Meiling's only regret was that she did not see Alice die.

_Now I'm free of her control…_

* * *

Sakura walked out of the hospital, the bounce returning to her step. Syaoran and Meiling were going to stay at the Hiiragizawa mansion. Sakura gave Syaoran a wink and laughed as he turned bright red.

_Let the games begin! _She thought happily.

DM: Sorry about taking so long! Anyway, this chapter was pretty much going into the heads of the main five and seeing what they thought had actually happened with Alice. Not that you won't find out from Alice herself exactly what she is…in a chapter or two, anyway. Please review, even if it's just to say that you're confused and want to know who Alice is! Next chapter: Unrequited Love


	15. Unrequited Love

DM: Hello all! I have returned to bring you another installment of Atlantis.  Thank you all so much for your reviews!  We are quickly approaching the end! Only four chapters left after this one!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS. Duh.

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Unrequited Love**

A butterfly fluttered past the window, weaving in and out of the red tulips that grew in the little box below the sill. Tomoyo followed its dizzying pattern with her eyes.  It was a very pretty blue, with tendrils of green in its black patterned wings. It stopped to rest on Tomoyo's watering can, which she had placed on the sill. Watching it bat its wings, Tomoyo sighed and sank lower into her armchair. She had never been this at peace in all her life.

_Now I cannot be reprimanded for my choice,_ she thought.

Yes, it was true that Tomoyo, Meiling, Syaoran, Sakura, and Eriol had all gone to the same high school. Tomoyo and Syaoran had fallen in love, Meiling being the third wheel. Sakura had a crush on Eriol, who in turn had a crush on her. They got together during college. But Tomoyo did not go to college after having both Syaoran and Meiling taken away from her.

_I got a perfect score on all my entrance exams,_ she recalled, her face twisting into a wry smile,_ I could have gone to any college I wanted..._

She recalled the scene when she had announced that she was going to apply for a job instead of enroll in a university:

_"But Tomoyo!__ With these scores you could go study anywhere!" A very frustrated Sonomi was at her wit's end. Why wouldn't her daughter listen to reason?!_

_"We were going to go to college together. It was a promise." A distraught Tomoyo with tearstained cheeks sat lifelessly still in a chair, putting all of her strength into glaring at her mother._

_"You can't keep a promise to a dead boy!" Sonomi shouted, throwing the job listings in her daughter's face and storming out of the room._

Tomoyo's mother had never forgiven her. Tomoyo had never forgiven herself. But now, she, Syaoran, and Meiling would be attending night school, so it would all turn out alright.  She would finally be able to get her life back.

_I'm going to miss this job,_ she thought sadly.

Of course Sakura and Eriol (already living together by the time she made it there) did not recognize her when she applied for the job. She had had short hair and contacts in high school. When she had applied, she had no will to live, let alone cut her hair. It had been down past her waist and she just wore her glasses.  However, the friendly Sakura readily accepted her for the job of her personal maid.

_And then, of course, there was more to her than I realized_ she smiled.

Tomoyo remembered seeing Eriol and Sakura training with their magic, sending water and fire back and forth against one another. It was a huge shock, but she held her tongue. She had more sense than to reveal herself.

It was the kiss that followed, however, that made her feel a twinge of an unknown emotion. She knew now it had been jealousy. Things continued much like this, until that day...

_"Sakura!"_

_Eriol and Tomoyo watched in horror as the force of the wave propelled Sakura to the bottom of the se, her petite body disappearing under the waves.. Tomoyo turned as Eriol's eyes widened and he fell to his knees. She knelt down beside him and muttered a few comforting things, but then..._

_Eriol burst out crying on her shoulder. And all she could do was try to sooth him..._

The desire to comfort him was very similar to the way Syaoran had made her feel. Of course, she didn't know then that this man was causing her heart to change. So when Eriol, finally recovering from the shock (thanks to her therapeutic skills) had made a move, she had defended herself, hoping that he would remain loyal to Sakura. And it backfired, and she realized she wanted him regardless of his past.

_Maybe it wasn't so bad that it didn't work_, she thought, giggling.

The butterfly flew away, zigzagging through the air, to land in a patch of red tulips growing in a flower box below. Watching it go down, Tomoyo wondered why there was one tulip missing. When she had watered them twenty minutes before, there had been 6. Now there were five.

_Must've been a bird or something,_ she decided.

Before she could puzzle any further, a pair of warm arms encircled her waist from behind. She knew right away that it was Eriol. She turned around and a blue velvet box was thrust under her nose, the one she had seen several times yet never opened.  At last, Eriol knelt before her and opened the box, revealing a square-cut diamond ring in silver, completely different from Sakura's engagement ring.

"Tomoyo Daidouji, will you marry me, Eriol Hiiragizawa?" he asked, looking up at her.

Tomoyo smiled and gazed back into Eriol's blue, blue eyes. Blue like the butterfly, but twice as beautiful.

"Of course," she replied.

_My love now is no longer unrequited..._

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

_What is happening to me?_ Syaoran thought, suddenly feeling compelled to pick every flower in the house. He had been daydreaming about the strange Sakura girl that seemed to just hop into his life. He felt a strong emotional attachment to her, despite being sure he had never seen her before.

What if this was all a crazy disillusion? He wondered.  It didn't matter.

Syaoran walked into the next room, which he could see when he gathered a tulip had peonies (his favorite flower) and where he could get another flower for his bouquet-with-no-purpose.  He was shocked to find Tomoyo and Eriol (he didn't like him, for some reason) close together, locked in a passionate kiss, a ring now on Tomoyo's left hand. He shut the door, blushing furiously, his mind still that of a high school student.

_They could have locked the door if they were going to be doing _that_! _He thought, embarrassed and faintly jealous.  It was true, he wasn't over Tomoyo yet, but he didn't feel the same passion for her either…

"Hoe? What are you doing, Syaoran?" Sakura's voice said cheerily from behind him.

Syaoran felt his blush worsen as he turned around and became entranced by her bright emerald eyes. Sakura had that effect on him, and he didn't know why. He could only put a finger to his lips and point at the door, so they wouldn't be heard by Tomoyo and Eriol, who, by the sound of it, had begun having their own kind of fun.  His heart gave another twinge of envy, but that was completely forgotten when Sakura nodded and leaned forward on her tiptoes, so that her mouth was right by his ear. Syaoran's heart began to beat twice as quickly.

She put her hands on his shoulders for support. Syaoran could have died of overheating, feeling his blush extend to his ears as they were tickled by her warm, sweet breath.

"What's going on in there? Are Tomoyo and Eriol being a little naughty?" she whispered, sounding a little naughty herself.

Sakura laughed between whispers, causing Syaoran's knees to wobble a little. She obviously had every idea what was going on, and that both excited and embarrassed him.

Syaoran smiled but then it fell into a pout when he recalled why he wanted to go in the room in the first place.

"I guess this means I won't be able to get a peony for my bouquet," he said a little sadly, though he had no idea why he'd made a bouquet in the first place.

Sakura laughed again and stepped back to look at all the flowers in his hands, which caused her to gasp. Syaoran smiled and handed them to her, his arms acting completely independently of  his brain.

"For you," his mouth said, while his mind froze in mortification.  He hadn't intended them for her, but for some reason he really wanted to give them to her.  That smile was bewitching.

Sakura took them, their hands over lapping, and leaned her face close to his, giving Syaoran quite the jolt of electricity by her proximity. He could feel her breath on his lips and felt himself suddenly breathing out of his mouth, hoping to breath the same air as this beautiful creature. He couldn't help it—he blushed crimson.

"Thank you.," she said finally, winking.

With a smirk, Sakura pulled back and walked away, holding the flowers very carefully. When she turned the corner and the hypnotic sway of her hips was no longer in his sight, Syaoran suddenly remembered to breath. What was it about her that made his heart pound like this? And what exactly had gone on between them in "Atlantis"?

_I want to remember..._, he thought fiercely, clenching a fist, _I want to remember so she will love me again…_

He sighed and walked back down the hall.  "Now I need a cold shower…" he mumbled.

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Whir, whir, whir, whir, whir...

Meiling tore her eyes away from the fan and turned them to the wall of her new bedroom, lest she be lulled into sleep by the soft whirring and hypnotic motion.

So they had been kind enough to let her stay, despite the havoc she had wreaked upon there lives due to her selfish whims. And now she would be going to college with the one she had hated most in high school. Aside from herself, that is.  It was true, Tomoyo, who had moved on from Syaoran, still evoked her rage somewhat.  Meiling sighed and pushed it to the back of her mind.

How could she have been so selfish? How had she convinced herself that Syaoran would ever be happy with her? No, she had known for a long time that Syaoran longed to leave Atlantis.  He had fallen in love with Sakura almost the moment he saw her.  His loyalty to Meiling had only ever been, even at best, superficial.

_I guess Alice couldn't have known how to make someone love you, since she was so unloved herself,_ Meiling thought bitterly, _like me_.

She frowned deeply at the thought and turned onto her stomach. Her bed was a pale red, but not so pale that it looked pink. It was like the house was color-coded. Each room had a themed color. Even the flowers—Meiling looked out the window and smirked. Syaoran had come in and stolen one of her pretty red tulips after Tomoyo had watered them.  She flipped over again and stared up at the ceiling.

_That's what you can do when you're rich,_ she thought, _get a crystal chandelier in red._

She almost laughed out loud at the strange and unnecessary things people did when they had the money. The laughs died inside her when her glance fell upon her old diaries. She should get around to burning them. They symbolized the times when her soul was devoured by her unrequited love for Syaoran.

_Love sucks..._she thought, knocking them off her desk with a sweep of her hand.

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Sakura was in the kitchen, busily arranging the flowers neatly in a vase. When they withered, she would put them in a book and keep them forever as they were her first sign of progress.

She sighed happily, and wondered which one of them was falling in love, Syaoran—or her? It felt like she was falling all over again. But alas, it was one-sided, unrequited.

She banished the thought from her mind as she gave the vase to a maid to be placed in her room.  She shouldn't lose hope, because she had the advantage in this game of love.

_That's right,_ Sakura thought, getting energetic, _I know exactly what Syaoran likes!_

This knowledge included things like his sensitive spot (his ears), the way he liked her to walk (she always made sure her hips swayed) and…he _loved_ chocolate.

There were other little things too, but Sakura had decided that being herself would probably be the best route to go, since that's what he fell in love with anyway.

"Now then," she said to herself, rolling up her sleeve, "Time to make a chocolate cake!"

She told the kitchen staff she'd like to bake something herself, so they set out her ingredients and she began to work.  As she was melting the chocolate, Syaoran came into the kitchen, his hair wet as though he'd been taking a shower.   He ventured until he was standing right behind her, his body pressed up against her back and his head leaning over her shoulder, sniffing the chocolate smell he adored so much.  Sakura felt her ears begin to turn red.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Syaoran said suddenly, jumping back.  Sakura turned around to see him blushing and embarrassed, like a teenager.  She smiled.

"Would you like a taste?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow coyly and unsure of what she meant by that.  She could tell that Syaoran was considering the other possible meanings as well from the way he fidgeted nervously before answering, "Yes, please."

Sakura grabbed a spoon and brought a little of the warm chocolate to his lips.  He smiled as he licked it off, getting some on his chin.  He made to wipe it, but Sakura beat him to it.  Before either of them knew it, she was licking the excess chocolate off his chin.  Sakura's heart was beating very fast when she pulled back, nervous to see how he would react.

He had fainted while standing.  Sakura caught him before he could topple over and sat him down on the kitchen floor, wearing a smirk of satisfaction on her face.

The score was now, Sakura, 1, Syaoran, 0.

DM: Well I hope you enjoyed all that fluffy goodness!  I also wanted you guys to get the story of what Tomoyo did after Syaoran and Meiling's disappearances, as well as how Meiling is evolving into a better person.  I love you guys!  Please review!  Next chapter: Real Life.


	16. Real Life

DM: Hey all!  I'm back with more Atlantis.  Thanks so much for your great reviews!  I'm rather sad that it will be over soon…

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Real Life**

Sakura let her star key dangle in front of her from its dainty chain and inhaled deeply, feeling the familiar pulsating sensation of her magic. It felt so good to use it on the surface. She hadn't noticed before, but in Atlantis the magical atmosphere had been so oppressive.  With her exhale, the key grew out to a staff, which she grasped firmly in her hand. With her other hand, she pulled out a card, the Watery.

"Watery! I summon thee!" she called out, tossing the card up and striking it with her wand.

Splash. As Sakura was contemplating the dorkiness of the phrase "I summon thee!" Watery flicked its tail in her direction and blew a raspberry, effectively soaking her through, before reverting to its card form, its pose now one of utter defiance.

"Well, that's my shower," Sakura muttered,

Sighing, she opened the book to place it back in. That was definitely strange.  She'd never been disobeyed in such a manner before.  Sakura looked at the other cards. They were in similar positions, pouting or even flipping her off. Searching through them, she found that even Mirror, the one card who could talk, had turned its back on her.  If only Kero and Yue, her two guardians, were there to help her!  Unfortunately, they had left for China soon after she became the Sakura Card Mistress, to search for other magicians, reporting back periodically.

At last, Sakura came to Windy, the card that had started her whole journey, and found that she looked sad but responsive.

"Windy! Please tell me what's wrong," Sakura said softly, holding up the card.

Windy came out slowly and sadly. She started looping and twisting and contorting to create an image. Suspended in air was a perfect replica of Touya and Yukito drinking tea, exactly as she remembered them from Atlantis. Then, the image twisted around to reveal Tokyo, and she realized that Touya and Yukito must have been working there.

"What the hell?  I thought they were just a part of Atlantis, something Meiling had created—" Sakura whispered to herself.

"No. They too were ensnared by Alice.  You set them free," a voice said from behind her.  She jumped a little in surprise.

Sakura turned around to see Meiling leaning against a target.  At the back of her mind, she wondered how Meiling had found her in the well-hidden Hiiragizawa training hall.  The girl took advantage of Sakura's brief silence and stepped forward, arms crossed over her chest.

"You rebelled when you played matchmaker. Each life you touched in Atlantis is free now because of you," she continued, her eyes filled with respect.

"That's...so...COOL!" Sakura exclaimed.

Meiling rolled her eyes as Sakura hopped up and down excitedly (spraying water everywhere), very pleased that Touya and Yukito were saved. Chiharu and Yamazaki, Akizuki, too, they were all free!

"However, you didn't save _everyone_," Meiling reminded her.

Sakura stopped jumping about and glared at Meiling.

"Who are _you_ to judge? All you did was manipulate them to your will and help Alice spread her evil!"

Then they were at a stand-still. Sakura had time to hear the echo of her harsh words in the silence that followed them. All the enmity she had felt towards Meiling had come loose. Now they stood glaring at each other.  Somehow this was becoming a fight for something else.

"Sakura! Meiling! Lunch!" Tomoyo called from above them.  The training hall was conveniently located just below the kitchen, to reduce the risk of a maid wandering in whilst looking for them if they were busy.

"Yay, I'm starving!" Sakura said, breaking the staring contest.

Sakura skipped happily up the stairs, deciding to ask Eriol about the cards after lunch (Meiling's answer hadn't really explained why they were mad), leaving a thoroughly bewildered and cross Meiling in the training room.

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Shaking with silent rage, Meiling set her jaw and resolutely marched up the stairs as loudly as her flip-flops would allow. Sakura didn't understand at all!  She didn't see how unfair it was that only _some_ people were saved, while the rest were left as Alice's slaves!

_Ah jeez! The consequences might be even greater than the disaster of my utopia..._

Meiling wanted Sakura to notice this, to realize that Alice could come after them any time she wanted. The way things were right now, the slightest touch could send her spiraling into darkness. And Meiling almost laughed at the thought. _I'll be ok_, she reassured herself.

Of course, Meiling, like everyone else in the world, had a stupid other half of her that understood Sakura—it was only natural to feel like goofing off after an adventure that had threatened life and limb.

She quarreled with that stupid other half as she helped Tomoyo with the trays of food (neither of them liked having servants). Sakura and Syaoran were in the living room, which was open to the kitchen, watching South Park and laughing every few seconds. They had turned the volume way up for some reason, and a high pitched, stoned voice came on:

"I am so high right now...I have no 'dea was' goinon..."

Strangely enough, Sakura and Syaoran mimicked it and laughed hysterically. _What the?  That show is still running?_ Meiling thought, remembering that Syaoran had been a fan of it before they'd gone to Atlantis. Eriol wrinkled his nose in distaste.  Looking up over the newspaper he was reading at the table, he shook his head disdainfully, obviously finding the show to be vulgar.

"Time to eat!" Tomoyo called, ignoring the maniacal laughter coming from the couch.

Sakura and Syaoran jumped to their feet instantly, pausing the South Park DVD and leaping into their seats. Meiling had never noticed before, but Sakura and Syaoran were really alike.  She sighed and watched him watch her eat.

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_She's so cute when she's eating..._ Syaoran thought as he watched Sakura stuff herself with food.

The way she ate made everything look so delicious, even if it was just spaghetti and meatballs.  It made him want to try everything.

He suddenly felt a peculiar pair of eyes on him. He turned and glared at Eriol, who was watching both him and Sakura with an amused look on his face.

_I'm allowed to look at her if I want to! _He thought angrily.  Meiling had mentioned in passing that Eriol and Sakura had been engaged, and he wasn't exactly excited about it.

Eriol cleared his throat, uncomfortable under Syaoran's heated gaze. Tomoyo and Meiling were chatting happily, oblivious to the little drama playing out on the table (for some reason, the two got along very well).  At last, Sakura looked up from her food, noodles dangling from her mouth in an undignified yet somewhat cute manner, sauce smeared on her left cheek.

"Sakura, what did you want to ask me about?" Eriol asked, desperate to rid himself of the awkward atmosphere.

Sakura slurped up her noodles and gulped.  Syaoran laughed and pointed to his cheek.  Taking the hint, Sakura proceeded to wipe her right cheek furiously, which only made Syaoran laugh more.  Delicately touching her left, she made a horrified face when she realized she had had the wrong cheek.  After wiping herself clean, she and Syaoran shared a smile.  Eriol cleared his throat again, getting mildly impatient.

"Oh, ah.—" she began, "the cards seem angry at me, Eriol...Meiling and I think it has something to do with some of the people of At-Atlantis living in the real world..."

Meiling, at last distracted from her conversation with Tomoyo, smacked a hand on the table, nearly apoplectic with rage. Syaoran was slightly taken aback.

"Of course it does! Sakura has left behind thousands of innocent people! The cards must be able to sense it and are reprimanding her!"

Eriol considered this carefully. Syaoran felt like yelling at Meiling. Hadn't _she_ messed with reality, too?

"Meiling, can you explain why these people were in Atlantis in the first place?  Wasn't it your personal fantasy land?" Eriol asked slowly.  Meiling shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"I don't really know.  At first it was just me and Syaoran.  Then more people started showing up.  One day, Aunty Yelan appeared—"

"—My _mom_?!" Syaoran shouted, smacking his fist down.  Sakura thought he looked remarkably like Meiling at that moment.

Eriol held a hand up.

"Here's my hypothesis, Meiling, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that Atlantis became a convenient place for Alice to store her "friends."  After she saw the success she'd had with you, she decided to expand, I suppose.  Lonely people always want more company," Eriol said calmly, stroking his chin.

"If that's true," Tomoyo said, "Do you think she'll try to get some of the ones Sakura saved back?"

The table fell silent, looking around at one another.

"Maybe Windy was trying to warn me that Touya and Yukito are in danger!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Where are they?" Eriol asked, standing up quickly.

"Tokyo," Meiling answered.

Eriol turned to Meiling, who still looked a little angry.

"And what do you suggest we do?"

Meiling turned red. Ha. She didn't have a clue what to do. Sakura did, though.

"I think the cards will tell us..." Sakura said, meeting Eriol's gaze.

Syaoran was feeling two different things at the moment. Completely lost, and jealous of Eriol. He fought the urge to smack the other man.

"I guess then...to Tokyo we go..." Tomoyo's soft voice interjected.

Syaoran stared at her. She was still very beautiful, more beautiful than he remembered. But he felt empty as he glanced at the ring on her hand and had to look away.

His eyes fell on Sakura.  He had never felt so powerfully attracted to anyone in his whole life, but he had no conscious recollection of her.  Everything about her was familiar, though.  Her smell, her touch, her laugh…

_This is all so strange_... he thought.

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Sakura couldn't stop thinking that she was seeing more and more recognition in Syaoran's eyes.  In the last look he'd given her, she could tell that he was desperately trying to remember. She plopped down on the couch next to him as he un-paused the South Park DVD.

_What if...just maybe..._ she thought to herself.

As Meiling, Eriol and Tomoyo left to make preparations for their trip, Sakura shyly moved closer to Syaoran. As if he had been watching her, he turned his head.

"What is it?" he asked, feeling slightly lightheaded as her scent crept into his nose.

"Syaoran..." she whispered.

Sakura did not realize until it was too late how forward that had sounded. Their proximity reminded her of their first night together in Atlantis.  Wondering if she could make him remember, she kept moving closer, and put her arms around Syaoran's neck, unknowingly putting them in a rather compromising position.

"I need to ask you something..." she continued.

Syaoran was now bright red, strangely not minding Sakura's embrace. He gulped and nodded nervously, accidentally bringing their faces closer than before. Sakura absently started drawing little circles on his chest with her finger.

"Even though you don't remember what happened in Atlantis...Do you remember emotions that you felt?" she asked.

Syaoran nodded dumbly. Seeming to find his voice a few moments later, he choked out,

"A wha-whirl of emotia-tions...d-different things remind me of tho-those e-emotions..."

Sakura stared at his face. He was so handsome...if only he were hers... She found this nervous Syaoran attractive.  The Syaoran she'd met in Atlantis was a man, but this Syaoran still had the mind of an inexperienced 18 year old, making her feel special with each step their relationship took.

"What things?" she asked slyly, enjoying his discomfort.

"When...when...when p-people do or say things to m-me."

Sakura suddenly had the most devilish idea she'd had in a while. She leaned in and kissed him full on the lips. At first he was stiff, then, quite suddenly, he reacted full force. He crushed her to him, and their tongues clashed. Forgetting other people were in the house, Syaoran pressed her down on her back on the couch, lying on top of her.  They broke free after a few minutes, just in time to laugh as Kenny died on the TV screen.

"Did that remind you of a certain emotion?" she asked.

Syaoran stared at her. Slowly a smile formed on his lips. Oh, how wonderful his lips were!

"I might remember more if you do it again," he said, with a roguish smile.

Sakura smiled and buried her hands in his hair.  They kissed again. On the other side of the room, Sakura thought she heard a door slam, but she was enjoying herself too much to care.

DM: There's another chapter for you!  I hope it's not too confusing.  Essentially, Alice is still at large and the cards think she's going to try and steal Touya and Yukito back, so they're going to try and head her off.  Please review!  Fifteen reviews say I update in three days!  Love you guys!


	17. Making Things Right

SeiSei: Wow

DM: Wow, so I was kind of shocked that I actually received the 15 reviews I so shamelessly asked for, so here's another update, within 3 days, like I promised! You guys rock! Thank you so much! I also love how nobody complained that I forgot to insert lines where I wrote "Insert Line Here." How embarrassing!

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Making Things Right**

"How could this happen? How?" Meiling asked herself furiously, slamming the door behind her as she left the living room—and, more importantly, the kissing pair—behind her. She hadn't expected the sight of them together to hurt her as much as it did.

She smashed a pillow with her fist, and then knocked over some books with a loud crash. Nothing was spared and pretty soon everything in her room was either broken or halfway there.

"All those years I suffered and a _third_ time he is taken away!" she exclaimed in a throaty whisper, "Why? Why me?" she asked the ceiling.

Still muttering to herself, she began ripping at her hair bands, the long, black locks tumbling loose about her shoulders and down to her hips. She dashed to the drawer and pulled out a pair of scissors.

_Why do I even try? _She thought, her anger giving way to sadness as she began cutting off her hair at her ears, until it was short all the way around. She fluffed it, pondering whether or not it was even before just abandoning the process entirely and tossing the scissors to one side.

Exhausted, Meiling fell forward on her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks, tracing out familiar pathways as they coursed hotly down. As she had done countless times before, she crushed the sheets with her fists. She eyed the mess that had once been her hair on the floor and smirked triumphantly. He would notice her then.

In the back of her mind, Meiling knew that in a way she was being pathetic and weak. She knew that she would have to give up on Syaoran and learn to accept that he would never look at her that way. She knew it and understood it, but she was only human, so she let herself wallow just a little bit.

_It's not fair...it's just not fair..._she thought, knowing full well that she was merely indulging herself. It was completely fair.

"_You're right. It isn't fair." _A soft voice agreed. The light in the room seemed tinged with red, despite the afternoon sun that trickled in.

Meiling's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. She glanced around the room, only to find nothing. She could have sworn someone had spoken. The situation was becoming eerily familiar.

"_I can help you make it fair..." _the voice continued.

She knew that voice from somewhere, but where, she couldn't tell. Suddenly in dawned on her as her memories came flooding back of the first time she met Alice. She had used almost the same exact words.

"No! Not again! You made everything worse for me!" she cried, picking up a fallen pillow and shielding herself pathetically with it. "I can get over it on my own!" she said, but the waver in her voice was what Alice was waiting for.

"_That's why I've come to redeem myself...Let me help you…" _The little girl's voice was getting stronger and louder. It was all Meiling could hear anymore.

"No! No, no, no..." she tried to speak confidently, but her voice was growing weaker. She became dimly aware of a thumping sound in the back of her brain, as if Alice were knocking on it, seeking entrance.

Meiling hunched up in a ball, her hands over her ears, rocking slightly. From her toes to her heels to her toes again, her lips forming a silent prayer that she would wake up soon and this would all be a dream. Covering her ears was futile, of course.

"_You leave me no choice..." _the voice said finally, sounding irritated now and losing its smooth, snake-like quality.

Contorting with pain, Meiling tried to push the voice out of her head, but she was too weak emotionally to win. All sight and sound were blocked out and all she could see and hear was the little girl's laughter. Soon she had to give up, and slumped over. Her eyes became a dark, sad blue instead of their usual fiery red.

Quietly, as though nothing happened, she got up and left the room, leaving a ravaged mess behind her.

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"Now where to, Windy?" Sakura asked, walking close behind her most trusted card. To the ordinary observer, she seemed to be running on her own. It also seemed to be a rather windy day in Tokyo as the gang searched for Touya and Yukito in the hopes that they could save them from Alice.

A strong wind blew to the left, causing several young girls to push down their skirts in embarrassment. Sakura and the others turned and continued to walk, following the wind into the law district. Sakura gave a surreptitious glance at Meiling, who had been extremely quiet since a few days earlier, when they first decided to go to Tokyo. Sakura wondered what had happened. Meiling hadn't even so much as looked at Syaoran, and only spoke in monosyllables. _Strange..._ she thought. She had begun to like the fiery and passionate Meiling who had stood beside her against Alice.

Thinking back, Sakura found herself blushing as she remembered the kiss (but forgetting the slamming door). Syaoran had begun undressing her when Tomoyo had walked in with a camcorder she had dug up in the garage, effectively ruining the mood. They hadn't had much time together since then, due to all the preparations needed for their trip.

Lost in thought and only following Windy's aura, Sakura walked straight into a door, falling backwards onto the pavement with a loud thud. Eriol and Tomoyo laughed a little as Syaoran helped her up, giving her a small smile. She smiled back, enjoying the warmth of his hand in hers. How she had craved physical contact!

"Ahem," the doorman said, unsure of how to approach this strange group of guests.

Sakura and Syaoran blushed and stood up quickly as Eriol and Tomoyo laughed harder. Meiling had not moved in the slightest—not even a flinch. In fact, she did not seem to see Sakura and Syaoran at all. Sakura smiled at her, but gave up on her in order to look at the door.

"Makino-Tsukishiro law firm," she read aloud, her Japanese still spotless despite many years of living in England, "I guess this must be the place."

Walking in nervously, Sakura and the group searched for signs of Touya or Yukito, looking rather suspicious as they tiptoed past the reception desk. The receptionist was too busy filing her nails to notice this strange development.

Of course, Sakura was so wrapped up in looking for Touya and Yukito that she walked right into them.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I—" she began, ending with a gasp at the sight of them together. They were close, but not overly close. She felt her heart sink as she realized that the two suit-clad men in front of her did not remember falling in love with one another.

Tomoyo had to stifle giggles. Eriol smirked. Syaoran glared, unnerved by the look on Sakura's face. Meiling…was silent. Touya seemed not to notice the other people and extended a hand to Sakura, examining her carefully. Syaoran glared even harder at the older man. Yukito watched nervously, also seeming to find Sakura interesting.

"It's quite alright...Say, do I know you from somewhere?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh..." she fumbled for words as she took his hand and shook it.

What was she going to do? She figured that Alice would do something when she got here and she'd have to battle, or at least that the cards would tell her what to do. However, the cards were as silent as Meiling. Touya was still waiting for an answer.

"No...no, I don't think we've ever met before..." she said quickly, feeling her heart sink. She glanced at Meiling for help, but the other girl was staring at the floor with the most interested expression she'd had in days.

"Huh...Well, nice to meet you. I'm Touya," he replied.

"Sakura," she said, giving him a smile.

Touya still didn't look convinced as he shook her hand. But Sakura was never to know for sure. At the moment that they released hands, Meiling seemed to explode. A bright light, tainted by cruel laughter, engulfed the building. All but Sakura, Meiling, Touya, and Yukito, were frozen, the receptionist's file held still above her nails, employees halted mid-walk.

"You have brought me further into the world of men," Alice's voice echoed through the hallways, "I will control all. I will eliminate sorrow!" she cried ecstatically.

No one was talking, but Sakura could hear a voice that no one else could. Everyone else was too busy looking for the source of the light.

Someone was forcing their way in and she felt the aura of the cards slipping away. This was the magic battle she had been waiting for.

"No, no!! Stop it! Stop it right now!" she cried at the ceiling. Alice laughed in response.

Ignoring Touya and Yukito's puzzled looks, Sakura writhed, trying to force Alice out of her head. Meiling collapsed on the floor and didn't move. The pain was incredible.

"_Because of you they forgot their happy times together. They're just like when I found them and I will take them back, along with Meiling…"_ Alice said softly in her ear, her voice filled with smug satisfaction.

"Help...please...release..." Sakura said through waves of pain.

The sacred word summoned all the cards at once and they circled around the group protectively. Slowly, the pain started to recede. In her mind's eye, Sakura could see the cards pushing back against the darkness. As if in a dream, Watery helped her to her feet.

"You can't do this! It's not fair! It's never fair..." a voice said. She couldn't tell if it was Meiling or Alice.

The voice ebbed away into sobbing. All at once, everything was gone. Only a card...and a girl...remained. Sakura took a weak step towards them, drained from using so much magic.

She had one thought before she slid into sleep.

_This girl uses card magic, too…_

DM: Well, that's that! I feel like I should tell you guys I doubled the length of the original chapter just now (yay for me!). The scene with Meiling was a lot creepier than I intended—I read way too much stuff by Kaori Yuki. Just one more chapter and then the Epilogue, guys...Parting is such sweet sorrow! As always, your reviews are sincerely appreciated! Next chapter: Magic.


	18. Magic

DM: Hey all! Sorry this has taken so long. I was on a trip to England until a few days ago. Anyway, a special thanks to axelsmorbidloveaffair for your long review--I like them long! And I also really appreciated your PM. Sorry that I didn't reply, it's just that when I read it, it would have been a really awkwardly late reply!

Disclaimer: All I own is the plot. And Alice.

**Atlantis**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Magic  
**

"Ow...my head..." Sakura groaned, her eyes squeezed shut from the throbbing at the back of her head. She had fallen to the fancy carpeted floor and it was the first thing she saw as she cautiously opened one eye.

Still rubbing her head, Sakura glanced around. Meiling was slumped on the floor next to her, and Sakura dimly wondered when the girl had cut her hair. Syaoran was frozen in mid-step, coming towards her with both fear and concern in his eyes. In spite of herself, she admired his handsome features, which looked good even stiff.

Glancing around, Sakura noted that Tomoyo's hands were glued to her mouth. She scratched her head, trying to remember what had happened to make everyone so upset.

At last, her eyes landed on Alice, who was also slumped on the floor, a few cards that looked vaguely like Clow Cards. Touya and Yukito stood next to her, their expressions a mixture of shock and recognition.

Movement in the corner of her eye caused her heart to jump into her throat. She snapped her head, only to find Eriol, who was staring at his watch and tapping his foot impatiently.

"I've known you practically all your life and I'm the _last_ person you notice?" he exclaimed indignantly.

Sakura moaned a little as she sat up, irritated that he was being cheeky at such an inappropriate time.

"What happened?" she asked, choosing to ignore his question. He frowned.

"Well, the cards jumped to your rescue and battled hers for a bit, then you passed out. We were starting to cause a fuss, so I asked the Time Card to do me a favor and halt everything," he said quite calmly, "Now then, what are we going to do about little Miss Clow over here?"

Sakura, now fully aware of the situation, made a face at the patronizing tone. With a slight jump, she was on her feet, prepared to barrage Eriol with questions about this new "Clow", but there were more pressing matters at hand. Mainly that her head felt heavy and full of water. Her knees seemed to have forgotten how to hold up the rest of her body.

Eriol caught her before she hit the ground, still maintaining his calm, knowing manner. With a flick of his wrist, a couple chairs slid over from their positions against the wall. He sat her down gently and then took a seat himself.

"So, till this kid wakes up why don't we have ourselves a little chat?" he suggested, smiling at her and deciding it would be better to leave the problem of Alice until she got her strength back, "Why don't you tell me about the amnesiac that's been living at my house?"

Sakura laughed a little and together they looked at Syaoran.

"I already told you the story, silly," she replied coyly, "We fell in love in Atlantis."

Eriol raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Do you love him enough to let him continue to live in our house indefinitely?" he asked, shooting the other man an almost critical glance.

"_I_ do, but how he feels isn't exactly sure yet. He doesn't seem to remember anything," she said softly, a small pain blossoming in her chest.

"Well," Eriol said calmly, "Why don't you just make some new memories? Anyway, he might remember on his own after a while. Everyone possesses a little magic in them, and he is no exception."

"What makes you say that?" Sakura asked, glancing at Eriol questioningly. Eriol rolled his eyes.

"The way he seemed to avoid Meiling and Alice's mind control. He'd have to be of strong mind to do that," he replied, as if it was obvious. Now it was Sakura's turn to frown.

"Is it okay with you if we all live together as we have been for the past few weeks?" she asked, desperately curious. She wanted to be with Syaoran, but she also wanted to be with Eriol and Tomoyo. They couldn't leave Meiling on her own either, could they?

"I think it's just fine if things continue. You want Syaoran to stay, and I've a feeling Tomoyo wants Meiling to stay. Their relationship seems very complicated," Eriol answered, looking at Meiling's slumped form. Sakura scoffed.

"I asked if it was okay with _you_ if they stayed, not me and Tomoyo. Come on, Eriol, be honest with me, or I'll find someone else with an ancestral mansion to take on my cause," she said, crossing her arms and turning away.

"Well, to be honest, the house has always been lonely with just us. I don't think it's our guests that would be the problem, Sakura," Eriol said softly. She turned to him quickly, her stomach churning with anxiety.

"Do you not want to live with me anymore, Eriol?" she asked, her voice filled with fear. Eriol looked up and smiled at her.

"I would love to continue living with you, but my cute little ward over there seems to hate me," he replied, and instantly she was at ease.

"Well, I won't lie and say we aren't the best of friends, Eriol" she said, laughing a little at Syaoran's jealousy. Eriol joined in and then they at last lapsed into a comfortable silence. Each decided in their own mind that talking about their failed engagement was unnecessary. Despite his strong desire, Eriol held off asking why they'd stopped loving each other. Sakura's eyes told him the answer. They were glued to the frozen Syaoran and Tomoyo. Sakura was now trying very hard not to laugh at their silly positions.

Soon the silence became a little awkward. It was taking Alice quite a while to wake up. Sakura got up to pace around the girl.

In the process, she glanced at one of the cards on the floor. This was made in the image of its creator, silent tears rolling down its cheeks despite its fanciful dress. Its name was written in a language unknown to Sakura (though she'd later learn that it was German and the card was called "The Fantasy"). The designs on the rest of the card were also quite different and strange to her. Neither Sakura card nor Clow card, it was decorated with strange geometric figures and teardrops, instead of the usual celestial bodies, with the name "Alice" on the back.

"I see," Sakura said softly, "She creates cards like these." Scattered on the floor were about ten of these cards, all sad and all wearing strange dresses.

Eriol became serious as well and knelt down beside Alice. He put his hand on her head. Her chin rested on her chest, her small body lying against the receptionist's desk.

"I wonder if it was the same for Clow," Eriol said aloud.

Sakura didn't say anything in reply. She sat down on the nearest desk and stared as Eriol began to absently stroke Alice's head, lost in thought.

_She's just a child, _Sakura thought sadly, _And to have all this weight thrust upon her like this..._

Sakura bent down to pick up the card again when a porcelain hand snatched it up from just beneath her finger tips. Alice sat up and hugged the card to her chest, the card glowing happily in reply. She glared warily at Sakura and Eriol.

"Mine," she snapped, her previously adult demeanor gone and all creepiness quickly fading. Now that Sakura looked at her she just seemed a frail little girl.

Eriol, who had been thrown back slightly, put his hands on her shoulders, and regained his balance. Alice did not seem to like this and her cards began floating off the ground.

"We're not gong to hurt you. We just want to talk," he managed to say before another wave of magic threw him off.

" I'll talk, but don't think you can touch me," she replied sternly. Alice's eyes shined determinedly as she swallowed hard. Sakura admired how brave she was. For all the little girl knew, Sakura and Eriol could be trying to hurt her.

"Do you know how special you are because you can create these? The last person to make these completely from scratch like this was the greatest sorcerer ever," Sakura excalimed happily.

Eriol pointed at the cards, as if Sakura's statement needed clarification. Alice's eyes widened, but immediately set back into her glare.

"But she has them too," she said, becoming childish again for a minute, and pointing at Sakura.

She glared at the young woman, but said nothing more. Sakura was a little taken aback.

"How she got hers is completely different from you and yours, Alice," he replied calmly, "I will tell you the story later today. How do you make these?"

"I have to need them, and need them badly," she answered. The calm, assured tone of Eriol's voice was setting her at ease.

The pieces were starting to fit. Sakura couldn't hear what they said next. She was wrapped up in solving the mysteries. The there must be a card that allowed her to possess those in pain, one to harness their energy, one to create things like Atlantis... But why Atlantis?

"Are they based on the water element?"

Sakura hadn't realized she had voiced that question until she noticed Alice staring at her with something much like awe.

"Water is the only thing I really love. It has great magical power," she replied, trying to look nonchalant.

"That would explain why your cards overpowered hers, Sakura," Eriol said, rubbing his chin, "Since they are based on star power." Alice frowned but said nothing.

Eriol tried to stand up, only to fall back to his knees, panting.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked. Eriol held a hand up.

"I can't keep time halted much longer. Listen, why don't I take Alice back to the house. You round up everyone and meet me there," he said quickly, standing up and helping Alice up as well, "Be sure to warn Meiling," he added. Sakura nodded.

Using her own non-Card magic that she and Eriol had developed over the years, Sakura was able to warp them home. As soon as Eriol left, time started up again. The normal people looked confused, especially Syaoran and Tomoyo. Sakura said nothing and only pointed out the door. The group left, leaving the law firm completely puzzled.

Once they were on the street, Sakura explained what had happened with Eriol and Alice. She then set about walking to the car to come and get the others (Meiling wasn't in the best shape to be walking). Syaoran, ever the gentleman, followed her.

Alone together for the first time in years Tomoyo and Meiling looked at each other. Meiling broke eye contact immediately, shifting guiltily on her feet. Tomoyo felt anger well up in her.

"Meiling," she began. The other girl kept her eyes on the road, desperately hoping Sakura would return with the car soon.

"Meiling," she said again. Still no reply. "Look at me when I'm talking to you," she said, her voice containing a little impatience. Tomoyo was rarely one to get angry, but this was a special situation.

At last Meiling looked at her, her eyes already brimming with tears. Tomoyo put her hands on her shoulders.

"Listen to me," she said, locking eyes with the now short-haired girl, "I think you owe me something."

Meiling gulped and nodded. "I'm sorry," she croaked out, tears spilling a little, "Forgive me, I'm so sorry..." Tomoyo put a hand over her mouth.

"I can't forgive you," she said, noting the resignation on Meiling's face, "Not right now. But maybe I will be able to someday." Meiling's breath caught in her throat.

"How? I'll do anything--" Meiling replied, but Tomoyo shushed her.

"You must live in my house. With all of us. And come to my wedding. Then I will think about forgiving you," she said sternly.

Meiling began to cry in earnest now. Living with Syaoran would probably be the most painful thing she could endure. Tomoyo hugged her, and she sobbed into the bosom she'd once stabbed in hatred.

Meanwhile, Syaoran was pestering a rather irritated Sakura as she walked to the car.

"So I really did know you from before? Why don't you just tell me what happened?" he asked. This was his fifth time asking. Sakura turned around suddenly and he stumbled backwards.

"If you don't remember on your own, it has no meaning," she said, "Anyway, don't worry about it so much." She turned away from him and kept walking.

"But--" he protested. She turned on her heel again and kissed him. He was so surprised he nearly bit his tongue.

"I love you," she said, looking him straight in the eyes, "And I want to always make new memories with you." Syaoran was taken aback by her seriousness.

"I love you too," he said, wrapping his arms around you, "And I want to someday remember all that's ever happened between us."

She kissed him again, and he buried his hands in her hair.

_Someday_, she thought, _Someday soon..._

**The End**

DM: Well, that's the end of the story! But don't fret, there's still the Epilogue to come! I didn't realize how heavy and emotional this story was until just now. I usually write more lighthearted things, so this was a strange experience for me. I hope I did ok for you guys! Please review, and let me know what you think. Praise, criticism, random declarations of love and hate are all welcome! Next Chapter: Epilogue, or Ever After.


	19. Epilogue

DM: Whew! Well, it's been a long time. I apologize. But here it is at last, the Epilogue!

Disclaimer: The same as always.

**Atlantis**

**Epilogue**

Eriol took up an entire table to himself at the library. Scattered across it were no books, instead piles and piles of binders and file folders. Papers were spread on every available surface.

Seated slightly back from the mess, he was flipping through a fresh binder, his eyebrows knit in a studious frown. Several people surreptitiously stared at him from behind their books, and the librarian looked quite irritated.

Eriol sighed. He was nearing the end of his 55th binder, and still had no sign of what he searched for.

_There sure are a lot of girls named Alice who went missing around that time_, he thought, rubbing his forehead. It gave him a headache just thinking about all the children who were lost.

For a while he had floundered; Alice had no recollection of a last name, nor could she remember the exact year in which she'd run away. He had started searching the records from five years earlier, and worked his way backwards from there.

"Eight years ago and still no report," he muttered, irritated. He continued flipping through, searching for that familiar face.

The others were at home; Sakura and Tomoyo had to finish the preparations for the wedding, and Meiling and Syaoran were keeping Alice company. _The six of us have become a family of sorts,_ he thought wryly.

He turned another page, and there she was.

Alice's sullen, emaciated face stared up at him from the binder. It gave him the chills, reminding him of their first encounter below the sea.

The fruits of his labor now within his grasp, Eriol exhaled deeply, a knot of tension releasing itself in his stomach. From the moment she'd begun living with them two months earlier, Eriol had been dying to know Alice's identity. At last he had it for sure.

No last name; she'd lived in the orphanage from birth. Briefly, she was adopted by an old man. Eriol's stomach churned as he remembered her startling confession a week earlier. This was the man who'd sexually abused her and driven her to the sea.

He was also the man who'd filed the Missing Child Report.

The report also contained a reference to a police report, summarizing it briefly. She had once thrown someone twenty yards. No one knew how she'd been able to do it.

This was the confirmation Eriol had really been looking for. Alice truly had powerful magic from birth, and without someone to teach her, she had let it spiral out of control. While her birth would always remain a mystery, the important thing was that she was a Clow-like figure, and needed to be taken care of.

He sat back in the chair, letting the binder lie flat on his lap. When asked how she'd come to possess the cards, Alice had given them a blank look. "It's easier to hide them that way," she'd said shortly, as if they were silly to even ask.

Eriol now knew for sure that she'd created them herself. With his and Sakura's help, he thought, she could probably create a lot more. This would keep her magic from acting up when she was angry (twice now she'd set Syaoran's hair on fire by accident).

With a satisfied smile, he snapped the binder shut, stood up, and left, leaving the mess (and a livid librarian) behind him.

* * *

Sakura sighed with relief as she plopped down on the couch. Syaoran smiled and sat down next to her.

Eriol was with Alice in the training room (since his discovery of her "identity" a month prior, he was always helping her with magic), and Tomoyo and Meiling were out shopping.

So Sakura and Syaoran were completely alone, for the first time in months.

"So, what do you want to do?" Syaoran asked, ruffling her hair.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know; what do _you_ want to do?"

They looked at each other.

Sakura's eyes searched his, and she was quickly becoming lost in them. She failed to notice the mischievous smile playing on his lips.

She opened her mouth to speak, when suddenly—

"Tickle time!" he yelled, pushing her down on the couch and relentlessly tickling the sides of her stomach. Sakura laughed helplessly beneath him, still too surprised to fight back.

"Now. If. You. Want," he said, struggling to keep her in his grasp as he ran his fingers over her, "Me. To. Stop. Make. A. Decision—"

"No!" she yelped, pushing him back with a small pulse of magic. In spite of his surprise, she straddled him, going in for the revenge strike. He caught her hands quickly.

"Let's go on a date, Sakura," he said seriously. She stopped laughing and looked back into his eyes. She bent down and planted a kiss on his lips.

"Good idea. We've never done _that_ before," she observed as she got up. He quickly followed suit.

The two walked out of the house hand in hand, chatting about the latest movies that were in theatres.

"I want to see that adventure film," Syaoran said. Sakura tilted her head to the side, smiling. They were about to cross the street.

"But what about the roma—Aah!" she was cut off by a huge VROOM and jumped back into Syaoran's arms.

He chuckled, and Sakura huffed.

"What's so funny? I could've died!" she exclaimed. Syaoran stopped laughing, but continued to smile.

"It's just that that's happened before, too," he said happily.

Sakura's heart skipped a beat.

"When did that happen?" she asked, not daring to breathe. Syaoran scratched his head.

"I don't recall exactly. I know that I was gonna show you around somewhere, but then—"

Sakura interrupted him with a yelp. She could hardly contain her joy. Syaoran, clueless, felt her forehead with her hand.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Syaoran, you idiot—" she began. Syaoran frowned.

"—That's not very nice," he broke in. She ignored him.

"That happened in Atlantis! You're remembering!" she squealed, taking his face in her hands and kissing him fiercely.

The people walking around them stopped to stare, but Syaoran ignored them as he placed his arms around her waist.

It was all coming back to him.

--

Meanwhile, in the basement, Alice had just created a new card. Eriol examined it closely, puzzled.

"What's it called?" he asked, glancing at her. She smiled innocently.

"The Memory," she replied.

* * *

"Here she comes!" Sakura whispered excitedly to Meiling. The two of them, in their similar but different bridesmaid gowns, watched as their friend walked slowly down the aisle.

An old butler from the Hiiragizawa complex was giving her away, and she beamed brightly at Eriol as she approached.

Tomoyo's dress was all white silk, with a delicate lace veil to cover her loosely pinned-up hair. It consisted of a strapless corset with a flowing skirt that barely skimmed the floor and hid her, Sakura and Meiling's little secret: her sapphire blue peep-toe pumps.

Sakura and Meiling's dresses, long white silk numbers that were cut to flatter each girl, hid their own shoes, hot pink and bright red respectively. When it came time for the reception, they would be revealed to the world. Alice, in her frilly flower-girl dress, had desperately wanted some too, but was too young for the heels.

Tomoyo and Eriol were staring at each other like they were the only two people in the large cathedral. Around them, friends, business partners, and acquaintances watched in awe of her beauty and grace.

The walk had a practiced slowness, and Meiling quickly grew impatient. She felt someone's eyes on her, which bothered her. How could anyone not be looking at Tomoyo?

She glanced around discreetly and found the offender. The tallest one in his row (perhaps in his whole section), he stared at her quite frankly with his bright blue eyes. His blond hair fell softly over his face, emphasizing his slightly feminine features. He was very, _very_ cute. Meiling stared back and almost gasped when he smiled.

The priest was saying something. The ceremony was about to start. Sadly, she turned away and looked at the rest of the bridal party.

Syaoran, pleased to find himself suddenly best man, was sharing secret (and probably perverted) smiles with Sakura across the dais. He looked very sharp in his tuxedo, the white vest and tie complementing his dark coloring beautifully. For no apparent reason, he had started remembering everything about Atlantis a month prior. It made Sakura and Meiling very happy. Alice's smile had her suspicious about its cause, but she wasn't complaining.

Without pain, she looked back at the blond man. He smiled again and her heart thumped madly in her chest. She looked at the priest.

_Hurry _up_, will you?_ she thought impatiently.

* * *

_Four years later…_

"Now just tap the accelerator lightly. _Very_ lightly," Syaoran said slowly, trying his best to hide his apprehension.

"Like this?" the sixteen year old blonde girl asked. She pressed the accelerator much harder than necessary and the car shot out into the street before Syaoran could stop her.

"Holy crap, Alice! I said _lightly_!" Syaoran yelped as she swerved to avoid a car. He felt like he was having a heart attack, and slumped in his seat.

"Sorry," she said softly, though she couldn't help smiling at her "father."

Syaoran heard someone laughing and felt his eyebrow twitch. Eriol was standing on the front lawn, holding hands with his now three year old son, Daisuke. He was a chubby baby, with dark hair and eyes like his parents. He watched everything, especially Alice, with a quiet sort of fascination.

He was the spoiled pet of the whole house.

"Maybe I should try teaching her, Syaoran!" Eriol suggested, though he had no intention of ever entering a car that Alice was driving.

He received a rude hand gesture in reply.

"Don't ever copy Uncle Syaoran, ok, Daisuke?" Eriol said to his son. He received another rude hand gesture in reply and sighed. Too late.

He heard a giggle behind him, but didn't turn around. Sakura and Tomoyo smiled happily to each other at the scene.

"We're almost like a normal family," Sakura said happily. Tomoyo nodded in reply.

Tomoyo was getting big again with her second pregnancy. Sakura had just started on her first. The dark haired girl patted her stomach with a smile.

"Pretty soon you'll be just like me," she exclaimed.

"At least the vomiting part is over," Sakura replied with a sigh. Tomoyo stifled a giggle.

"What's so funny?" Sakura asked, alarmed, "Don't tell me it comes back!"

"No, no," said Tomoyo, shaking her head for emphasis, "But the constipation is much worse."

The two fell to laughing, but were interrupted by a stomping sound upstairs.

"That's not very nice of you to say," Meiling's shrill voice drifted through the walls, "I'm the best you'll ever have, you know!"

"Of course you are," Matthew, whom she'd met at Tomoyo's wedding, replied. Meiling was in one of her moods, and he always knew how to soothe her.

"Don't laugh at me!" she said, though Sakura and Tomoyo could tell that she was smiling.

"I'm not laughing _at_ you; it's just funny—" he protested.

"Funny that what?" she snapped. He chuckled.

"Funny that I'm proposing to you with two slightly pregnant ladies eavesdropping," he finally replied.

Meiling stared at the ring in front of her. Tomoyo and Sakura glanced at one another. The house went silent for a moment.

Then it rang loudly with laughter.

**--**

"_Life has meaning only if one barters it day by day for something other than itself." _

_**Antoine de Saint-Exupery**_

--

DM: Well, my friends, that's the end of _Atlantis_. When I first wrote the story as a 13 year old, I left a lot missing and messed a lot of stuff up. Yet the plot kept coming back to me. I'll always have a special affinity for this story. I hope you will too. Please review for me! One last time!

Thanks so much for reading this even though it's a rewrite. I really appreciate all your reviews. It would also make me happy if you maybe checked out some of my other stuff, as I am always looking for new readers.

Once again, thanks for all your support.


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